Redefining Robin
by UMdancer98
Summary: Batman has called Robin "unbreakable". One man wants to prove him wrong.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi everyone, I'm back! Sorry about the short delay but I never start posting a story until it is completed and polished. I was stuck, then I finished, then it didn't feel finished, then a new ending was added and now, finally, it is complete! Before this story starts, I'm going to clear some things up about "Fighting for Robin".

Carl - the Gorsh brothers didn't take Robin's utility belt for three reasons. First, and most important, I didn't think of that! Second (after I thought about it), Franklin was obsessed with Batman's belt and probably didn't care about Robin's slightly smaller one. Finally, David knew nothing about the Dynamic Duo so he wasn't interested in anything except his new drug.

Mystery guest - I deliberately changed Robin's age. I figured that, since we never knew his actual age in the show, I can have him be a young teenager - anywhere between twelve and an early sixteen. Also, I used to teach junior high (grades 7-9) so I know there is a significant difference in the level of maturity between a fourteen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old. ;-) The older Robin would probably be more composed (during the award presentation) than the younger one (he would be more excited and "bouncy"). That's the main reason why I changed him to fourteen.

Batman Dude - I am always open to receiving story ideas so send me whatever you want! I can't guarantee usage, though.

Thanks for the title suggestions. I spent forever trying to come up with something and the one that I chose fits but I can't tell you why. :) Also, thanks for the story ideas! There are several things bouncing around in my brain now and I love when that happens. There is nothing, however, for a sequel to "Fighting for Robin" so don't expect it for a while (or maybe never!).

If there are any authors out there who want to try a sequel, I'm giving you permission to use Franklin and David Gorsh, that crazy symbol and a mystery "money man" that funded the project (just remember that David pretty much hates his brother now and Franklin wants revenge on certain people). I bet Robin, the riddle solver, could figure out the meaning of the symbol even though Batman was completely stuck. ;-) That's the only idea I have for a sequel... Also, if you do use it, please let me know so I can read it! :)

Anywho, sorry again about the wait and - if you were looking for something more or different than what happened in "Seven Days" - I hope you like this one better (it's my re-try!).

As usual, Batman and Robin are based off the 1960s TV show but go back and forth between genres and are sometimes completely out of any characterization. I write it the way it enters my head, which is not always "historically" accurate. Italics usually represent thoughts to oneself but are sometimes used to add emphasis. I _love_ reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reading!

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Ten o'clock in the morning**

"Robin, go, don't wait for me, just…go…" Batman was gasping as he ordered his young partner away from the gas billowing throughout the warehouse.

"I'm not leaving you, Batman, so save your breath," Robin shouted in reply, searching through the fog for his partner. He stumbled suddenly and tucked himself into a forward roll to avoid injury. Instead of the hard concrete that he was expecting, he landed on a pair of legs and the air was knocked out of him as his upper back hit the knees.

"Go…" Batman whispered as he began following the black snakes that invaded his head.

Robin had regained his breath and, assuming the legs to be attached to the strong body of Batman, crawled to where his partner's head should be. Robin was the one gasping now as he felt the cowl then found, grabbed and lifted Batman's arms. He turned around so that his partner's body was behind him and, pushing himself to standing, began dragging the muscular form toward the closest exit – the door that was about fifteen yards away. His vision wavered but he didn't stop; he was going to get them out of here.

* * *

Kirik watched from the safety of the warehouse manager's office, waiting for the Boy Wonder to succumb to the toxic odor of his newest concoction. Robin was living up to his nickname – Kirik couldn't believe that he was still standing, much less dragging a heavy body. The boy was getting dangerously close to the door and he could not be allowed to escape. Kirik thought about putting on his gas mask and going down to impede Robin's progress but he saw a slight hesitation in the Boy Wonder's steps and knew he wouldn't last much longer. He grinned as he rubbed his hands together; it was his turn to have a go at breaking the young sidekick and he, unlike so many who had tried before him, wouldn't fail.

* * *

 _Holy ball and chain._ Robin knew if he stopped he wouldn't be able to get started again but his feet felt so heavy. It was like he was trying to lift a block of cement with every step and his muscles were wearing down. He looked up; he was over halfway there but everything was so blurry. He dropped Batman's right arm in order to rub the burning feeling from his eyes but quickly realized that was a mistake; rubbing made them burn even more and now he couldn't find his partner's arm. Rolling his eyes at himself in his head, he put his back to the door, grabbed Batman's left arm in both hands and pulled with all the strength he had left. He was so close; he couldn't – no, he _wouldn't_ – quit. He couldn't see shapes anymore; the room was flat and gray. _Just a few more steps…no, just a little rest and then a few more steps._ He released Batman's arm and collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Kirik opened the office door and used his gas-retriever; sucking the smoky haze into the canister then securing it tightly. He looked down and smiled at the sight: Batman laid out on the ground not moving and Robin curled up in a heap next to him, three feet away from the door. He took out his Polaroid camera and snapped a picture; this was definitely one to hang up next to the sidekick. The kid would be really discouraged when he realized that he had been a mere three feet away from saving himself and his older, stronger partner. Failure, that's what he would see, and Kirik knew that no hero was capable of dismissing that particular feeling.

"Jack, Jason, get in here and load the bodies into the van. I'm not sure how long the gas will last on them so we need to get going."

Two very different young men sauntered into the room: the short, dark-haired one had broad shoulders and muscles rippling through his shirt while the taller redhead was skinny without an ounce of fat or muscle on him.

"Ya wanna drag the big one or carry the little one?" Jack, the redhead, asked.

"Don't matter ta me. I'm just here fer the workout," Jason grinned. "You can't carry either one, though, so I guess the decision is mine," he smirked.

Kirik sighed, annoyed at the men. "Just figure it out and let's go!" he exclaimed.

Jason rolled his eyes at his older brother and easily lifted Batman's body off the ground, flipping it over his shoulder and walking toward the loading area where they had parked the white van. Jack chuckled quietly at his brother's antics as he pushed Robin's wrists together, securing them tightly with two cable ties and looping a sturdy rope around them. He grabbed one end of the rope and began dragging the small body across the concrete.

Kirik grinned again; how fortuitous that Robin's body was going to be dirty and sore while Batman's would be clean and refreshed. He ran over and motioned the brothers aside so he could take another picture of the two heroes, who were lying side by side in the back of the van. Another good one to hang in front of the sidekick; it was only five minutes into his operation and Kirik already had two images that would remind Robin of his inability to be a _true_ hero – one that didn't need saving all the time.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Holy speedy review, Carl, thanks! :)

 **Chapter 2:**

Robin felt the familiar bounce of a vehicle driving on a dirt road. _Holy here we go again._ What was this, his sixth or seventh time being kidnapped? The last thing he remembered was dropping Batman's arm and he was worried about what, if anything, had happened to his partner. He attempted to open his eyes but they were still burning and the lids were so heavy. His whole body was heavy and he couldn't gather enough energy to even _think_ about moving. There was a large bump in the road and Robin was smacked in the face by what felt like an arm. Had Batman been taken, too? Why were _his_ wrists restrained when Batman, who was stronger and more dangerous, was free enough for his arm to fly across Robin's head? He sighed, a sound that didn't quite make it out of his mouth, and drifted back into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Kirik saw Robin's eyes darting around under the lids and hoped he wasn't waking up yet. He grabbed the tire iron by his side, wanting to be prepared just in case. He laughed loudly as a particularly large jolt on the old road launched Batman's right arm across Robin's face, leaving a small but quickly swelling bruise on his left cheek. Kirik took out his camera, laid Batman's arm across the face of the Boy Wonder and – making sure the bruise was in view – snapped a picture. He had three photos now; two showing failure and one showing Batman giving his young sidekick an injury.

"Even your partner is beating you up, Robin!" Kirik chuckled again. This was going so well and he hadn't even started yet! He looked up as the van slowed down and the cabin came into view. Putting the tire iron down, he leaned to his left and grabbed the eight metal u-bolts along with the bag of tools. The Dynamic Duo wasn't going to escape from this trap. He closed his eyes and scrolled through the images in his genius-level brain: every single situation that any villain had used in an attempt to kill the Caped Crusaders. There was nothing like the one he had planned and, obviously, he wasn't going to fail because his was so much more sophisticated than _any_ of the other villains' plots.

"Well, Boy Wonder, here we are. This is the place where you will be broken down into little tiny pieces, never to rise again. I know everything about you, everything about the people you have helped capture and everything about your partner – who is always the one to plan the escape and pulls you along for the ride." Kirik grinned darkly, "Even your so-called nemesis, _Joker_ , couldn't take you down and he has been set on revenge since you became Batman's sidekick."

Robin heard his name and, a few seconds later, the nickname given to him by the citizens of Gotham City. The tone connected to the words was threatening but laced with excitement. He heard the name 'Joker' and shuddered, the movement rolling down his body and involuntarily manifesting itself to the owner of the voice. His arms were suddenly pulled above his head and his body dropped onto the hard dirt. His eyes popped open but immediately closed again; he was so tired and didn't want to wake up. He felt the rocks and weeds as he was dragged across the ground but was already floating away and didn't care about the pain.

* * *

 **Several hours later:**

Batman shook his head as he attempted to free his brain from the after-effects of the gas he remembered inhaling. He opened his eyes but everything was hazy so he blinked quickly a few times to clear his vision. The first thing he saw was a wooden floor and his own shadow. Deciding to check for injuries before figuring out the situation, he pulled his head back but kept his eyes down: no tears in his Bat-suit, no soreness or blood, no noticeable cuts or bruises and he still had his utility belt. He was about three feet off the floor, tightly restrained against a wall, and could tell that his body was in the shape of an X with his arms bent at a ninety degree angle. He looked to his right and found two three-inch thick metal bolts – one wrapped around his wrist and the other around his ankle – that disappeared into the wall. He looked left and saw the same thing. He pushed against the bolts but there was no give and he frowned as he realized what was holding him back: u-bolts with the nuts on the other side of the wall. He had seen this kind of trap before but had never been in one. It would be virtually impossible to escape from this without using something from his utility belt, which he couldn't reach.

There was an IV in his left elbow and he followed the tube with his eyes but it went out the open door and he lost it. He looked up and the first thing he saw was Robin, who was in the same situation but without an IV. His head was hanging down; he was probably still unconscious. He was dirty, bruised and had stickers from weeds in random places on his legs. He was shoeless and gloveless but he, too, had his utility belt. There was a streak of dried blood on each arm and Batman noticed a small but very swollen bruise on his left cheek.

"Robin," he whispered as loud as he dared. "Wake up, we need to get out of here!"

Robin didn't move so Batman looked around the room: it was small and bare and the only exit was the door. The walls and floors were made of wood, suggesting to him that they were in a cabin, and the lone piece of furniture was a short table in the center of the room.

"Robin," he said it a little louder this time and glanced at the door as he did so. Still nothing so Batman strained against his bonds to see how much he could move. He was able to arch his back but his limbs were completely immobile. He had to wake Robin up so he listened carefully and heard nothing from outside the door.

"Robin," he demanded in his normal voice, "wake up, now!" Robin started moving his head around so Batman said it again.

Robin heard Batman's voice and lifted his head, causing a spike of pain to shoot across his forehead. _Holy headache._ He opened his eyes, saw Batman across from him and was slightly shocked at the position his partner was in. Looking to his right and then his left, Robin realized that he was in the same situation. His eyes followed the IV tube out the door, also, and he was concerned about what could be put into Batman's body.

"Holy Bat-trap, Batman!" Robin exclaimed quietly as he pushed against his restraints, testing them for weaknesses.

"Robin," Batman grabbed his attention, "status report."

"Oh, uh, I have a slight headache, bruises on various parts of my body, some stickers on my legs that look like they're from weeds, I think there are some cuts on my wrists and my left cheekbone is a little sore," Robin replied. "I also smell like dirt. What about you?"

"Well," Batman hesitated. There was nothing wrong with him and he felt bad about it.

Robin chuckled, "You're absolutely fine, aren't you? Holy giveaways, Batman, I'm looking right at you. You think I don't see the lack of bruising or blood or general dirtiness of your Bat-suit?"

Batman didn't answer because there was a loud 'bang' that came from just outside the door. A man came striding into the room with a camera that was hung around his neck by the strap.

"Good afternoon," the man said. He walked over to Batman, stopped three feet away and stared into his eyes. Without saying a word he turned, went over to Robin and stopped a foot and a half away. Robin's small body was higher off the ground than Batman's and his head was almost at the same level as the one belonging to his captor.

Robin opened his mouth but Batman caught his eye and shook his head. Kirik grinned as he glanced back at the hero who was, obviously, trying to stop his sidekick from mouthing off. He had heard that the boy was good at getting under a person's skin and he knew Batman wouldn't want his sidekick to start things off on a bad note when they were in such a precarious situation.

"What do you want?" Batman commanded but the villain ignored him. He ran a fingernail down Robin's right cheek, purposefully drawing a little blood, then stepped back and took a quick picture.

Robin, blinded by the bright flash of light, said sarcastically, "I'm not really looking my best right now. If you could just let me down I'll go freshen up and then you can take all the pictures of me that you want."

"Robin," Batman growled and Robin shut his mouth.

"You look fine, Boy Wonder," Kirik said with a laugh and patted his bruised cheek.

Robin didn't flinch; he just stared into the eyes of the kidnapper, who glared at him without backing down. Robin prided himself on being the winner of multiple staring contests at school and didn't even think about blinking. The man stepped back again, still glaring at Robin, and snapped another picture. The light was bright and Robin was forced to blink.

Kirik laughed again. "You lose," he said gleefully. His eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice so that only Robin could hear him, "You'll be doing a lot of losing while you are here." Then he turned around, glanced at Batman one more time and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews Blas, Batman Dude, JokerFan2011 and Owan!

JokerFan2011 - we're only two chapters in and you already think it's my best story? Thanks!

To answer your question, Owan, I'm not re-doing "Seven Days". There were some tips and comments given to me during that story so I'm starting with the same premise but using a different set-up. I'm attempting to incorporate ideas from a couple of different readers and also trying to follow some advice. "Seven Days" has always been my least favorite but I'm glad you liked it. :)

 **Chapter 3:**

"Robin," Batman demanded, "what did he just say to you?"

"He said I would be doing a lot of losing, whatever that means," Robin answered. Suddenly his eyes widened as a thought came into his mind. "Batman, did you notice that you have an IV in your arm and I don't?" he asked fearfully.

"Yes," Batman didn't like his partner's tone of voice, "but there is nothing to worry about, okay? Everything will be fine because we are going to get out of this like we have always done with every other trap."

"Right," Robin nodded, "but when he said I would be doing a lot of 'losing' do you think he meant you? That I would lose you?" Robin's voice was a little shaky at that thought. "I mean, there are a lot of things that can travel into someone's body through an IV tube."

"Robin, stop, you aren't going to lose me. He was just trying to scare you and it better not work. I need your head clear so we can get out of here."

Robin nodded again then looked at the ground. "What if he gives you something that takes over your mind and you can't control what you do?" Robin whispered. "What if he wants us to fight each other? Holy nightmare, Batman, I'm not going to fight you…"

"Robin, _stop_ ," Batman commanded. "Stop thinking about things that _might_ happen and start thinking about finding a way to escape. I won't be here to have my mind controlled if we escape, right? Right, Robin?!" His partner wasn't responding and was still focused on the ground. Batman sighed and tried to think of a different way to calm his partner down, not knowing that Robin was already asleep again. Batman was still tired from the gas but did his best to stay awake. The lingering effects of the fumes were too strong, though, and he gradually fell asleep.

* * *

 **The next morning:**

Robin's head popped up as soon as he opened his eyes. "Batman, did you put that new bomb-looking thing into our utility belts yet?" he asked in cautious excitement.

"No, I didn't put any in either of our belts. It's still new, remember?" Batman replied as he shook the sleep out of his brain. "I still have several tests to run it through before I'll even _think_ about giving one to you."

Robin looked away guiltily and Batman narrowed his eyes. "Robin, do you have a mini Bat-blaster in your utility belt?" he growled.

"Maybe," Robin avoided a direct answer and that confirmed Batman's suspicion.

"Robin, _WHY_ do you have a mini Bat-blaster in your utility belt?!" Batman demanded angrily. "They are not ready for me to handle and definitely not ready for you!"

Robin glared at Batman, "It looked useful, okay?! Maybe it can get us out of here! Aren't you glad I have one since we are stuck here like this?!"

Batman lowered his voice but he was still furious with his partner. "Robin, how on earth are you going to get it out of your utility belt without the use of your hands or feet? No, I'm not glad that you have one – you could blow yourself up! Where is it?"

Robin looked down at his belt and remembered where he had stashed it, "In the side pocket on my left hip."

"Well, the hip isn't usually a place that gets hit when you are fighting, so that's something good about it. We will be having a long discussion about this when we get back to the Batcave," Batman growled again as he pushed against the restraints. Nothing happened and he was a little concerned. The mini Bat-blaster _would_ be helpful but there was no way to get it out of Robin's belt so he was not going to say anything else about it.

* * *

Kirik stared at the pen in his right hand, trying to figure out what to write under each picture. He had decided to make a poster for the Boy Wonder and put it in a place where he would constantly see it. A poster about failure and not living up to expectations; something a teenage hero would really take to heart, especially since his mentor was in the same room with him. There was a series of short beeps that startled him and he looked at his watch; it was time for Batman's first dose which also meant it was time to explain the situation to Robin. He put the pen down – the poster could wait – and walked across the living area of the cabin, flipping a switch on the small machine next to the closed door. It hummed to life, initiating the bubbling of a clear fluid in the square hole on top of the machine, which then began to gradually fill up the bag attached to its side. He pushed the door open and entered, immediately noticing the glare that each hero was sending to the other one. Kirik grinned again and shook his head. This was going so well without him even doing anything! Maybe he should just let it play out…he dismissed that thought and walked to the center of the room.

Batman had seen the villain come in and quickly shut down his emotions. He tried to glare at Robin in a way that would communicate the need to calm down but his partner was guilty and upset; two feelings that were hard for him to handle if he didn't have a way to express them. If glaring at Batman was his way of releasing them, fine, as long as he didn't start badgering their captor. Batman shook his head violently when Robin opened his mouth and Robin's face darkened as he shut it again.

"Hello, again!" Kirik was excited when he walked up to Robin and lightly slapped the bruise on his cheek.

"What do you _want_?!" Batman shouted at him and was frustrated when the villain completely ignored him.

"So, Rooob-iiiiin," Kirik drew his name out mockingly, "how are you feeling right now? Scared, sad, stupid, which is it?"

"Holy unlikelihood, are those my only choices?" Robin snapped at him, not at all intimidated anymore.

"Not right now but they probably will be very soon," Kirik smiled.

"Do you really want to know?" Robin asked. "I'm not afraid of you or whatever you have planned. I'm feeling sarcastic and witty and bubbling over with joy. Does that answer your question?" he glared at the villain viciously.

"Well, you might feel slightly less confident after I'm done telling you my plans for you and your," Kirik tossed a glance over his shoulder, "strong and heroic partner."

"I doubt that," Robin muttered as he, too, glanced at Batman.

"First, let me introduce myself. I go by the name of Kirik, which is the Turkish word for "broken". It's very appropriate because I am here to break you. Not Batman, _you_. I know that a number of villains have tried to do it and, obviously, all of them have failed. I, however, will not fail for several reasons: first, I break people for a living – it's what I get paid to do; second, you are just a boy; third, the man who trained you to be a sidekick is here and about to watch you fail miserably and fourth, I have never _not_ broken someone I have gone after. You will be no exception," Kirik declared arrogantly.

"Leave him alone," Batman threatened loudly but the man continued to ignore him.

Robin, who _had_ become less confident with each reason that the villain laid out, rolled his eyes and attempted to push his fear away. "So, why are you going to _try_ to break me?" he asked. "What kind of information are you looking for?"

"Absolutely, positively nothing," Kirik grinned widely. "We are each here for one reason: you to break, me to break you and your partner to watch that happen."

"Leave him alone!" Batman shouted this time and attempted to free himself from the metal bolts, pushing against them with all of his strength.

Kirik rolled his eyes and, watching Robin's face carefully, said, "Batman is going to be very disappointed in you when you cave. He seems to think you are strong but the way he keeps yelling at me to leave you alone leads me to believe that he doesn't think you are strong _enough_."

Robin's eyes dropped to the ground when he thought of Batman being _disappointed_ in him but he heard the villain chuckle and he brought them right back up to the man's face.

"I will _die_ before I break," he growled, daggers shooting from his eyes.

Kirik started shaking with laughter, "That's…that's the best…" he had to keep pausing to catch his breath. After half a minute he finally calmed down enough to continue, "That's the best way to break; your death will be my victory. You will be one more trophy to place on my already overflowing shelf of broken people."

"Then I won't die, either," Robin declared. "We'll just find a way out and then let _you_ break in Arkham."

" _Leave him alone_!" Batman roared from across the room.

Kirik finally turned around and glared at Batman. "Stay out of this; it doesn't concern you. The _only_ reason you are here is because it will be harder for him," he jerked his head toward Robin, "to have you watch him fail at being a sidekick."

" _I WON'T FAIL_ ," it was Robin's turn to roar at the man as Batman strained against his bonds again. "I won't break, I won't die and when we get out of this I _definitely_ won't fail at taking you out!"

 _DING_. "Oh, it's ready!" Kirik said as he looked back at Robin. "So, here's how we're going to start: you will eat when I decide that you are allowed to eat and you will drink when I decide you should have a drink. Neither is going to happen anytime soon so you might as well resign yourself to a significant loss of energy. Your partner, on the other hand, will be well-fed and always feeling refreshed."

"If he doesn't eat, I don't eat!" Batman thundered, his face dark with rage.

Kirik turned around and walked over to Batman. "How very noble of you, Batman, trying to keep your young sidekick's spirits up by dwelling in misery with him. It won't work, however, because you don't really have a choice."

He pushed a small button on his watch and both Batman and Robin watched a clear liquid begin to flow through the IV and into Batman's body.

"You are receiving nutrients and fluids and everything your body needs to stay strong and healthy. This will happen automatically every eight hours – sometimes more frequently if I feel like it – and there is nothing you can do about it. You can't take it away from yourself, you can't give any of it to your sidekick and he gets to watch the nourishment glide into your body with the knowledge that you are not suffering at all."

"Good," Robin shouted, "because he shouldn't have to suffer! If it's me you want just let him go! Knock him out and take him somewhere far away then drop him off! I'm sure you're in a place that's difficult to find so just let him go!"

"Robin, enough!" Batman shouted furiously.

Kirik laughed, "I'll leave you two to work it out. See you later, _Boy Wonder_." He sauntered out the door, leaving it half-open behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and comments Batman Dude, Blas, JokerFan2011, Owan and Psyche Castle! This chapter is short but it had to be a stand-alone.

Batman Dude - this chapter might answer your question. :)

Blas and Owan - I have looked up the movie but I haven't watched it yet. Thanks for the reminder!

Psyche Castle - thanks for that huge compliment!

 **Chapter 4:**

Kirik walked through the cabin, out the front door and over to the van. He opened the passenger side door and, grabbing a small key from his back pocket, unlocked the glove box and retrieved his dark blue scrapbook. He closed everything and went back into the cabin – this was something he always did before fully diving into any job. He sat on the couch, put his feet up on the small table in front of him and opened the book to the first page.

This page was his least favorite but it was at the beginning so he would always remember why he had chosen this "career". It was a picture of his family but with a few adjustments drawn with a permanent marker by his own hand. There was his mother, her eyes wide and sad with tears, put there by Kirik, running down her cheeks. His father was standing above her and Kirik had drawn a face filled with fury and a small knife in the man's right hand – the one placed on his mother's shoulder. Kirik's eyes watered a little when he looked at his younger sister; only two years old in the picture and only four the day his father had gone on a rampage. _Kirik_ had broken that day; the day he returned home from school only to find the bodies of the two people he loved the most dead on the kitchen floor and no sign of his father anywhere. That was also the day he had vowed to do anything necessary to find the man that was no longer related to him.

Kirik, at the tender age of ten, didn't know how or where to begin his search for revenge but he had made a promise to his sweet mother and adorable baby sister. He refused help from anyone and took to the streets, learning the ways of the world by quietly observing battles and wars between violent gangs and, sometimes, members of various mobs. He became a constant presence at the library, reading books about everything from medieval dungeons to military weapons and how to use them. He learned about the best ways to extract information from people and began practicing on little creatures made from sticks, straw and any food he could find that would squirt when hit with something. It took him eight years to perfect his techniques; eight long years of neglecting his search for his ex-father in order to be able to break the man when he finally found him.

Kirik shook his head and flipped the page to the picture of his first conquest. He still felt guilty about this one; the man was a horrible person but he was Kirik's first victim and, Kirik had realized long ago, that was when his soul had been lost forever. He had done the job well, however, and decided that his path was that of a vigilante: continually taking out bad guys and ridding the world of evil. It worked...until he was noticed by some of the bigger mob bosses. A _kid_ should not be able to break henchman but he had won every time someone had challenged him. The boss of the most prominent mob was smart and offered Kirik a substantial amount of money to take down a witness in an upcoming trial. Kirik had declined – he only went after villains – but the amount continued to increase until it was too tempting for a man who had lived on the streets for half of his life. The first good guy he had broken took only three hours and other criminals began to hire him. He was now a paid "breaker" and nothing affected him anymore. He didn't care who he worked on, as long as he was paid well. That was when he had lost his real name; he couldn't even remember it anymore and that didn't bother him at all.

Kirik had been flipping through the scrapbook, staring at all the pictures from every job, as these memories were flying through his mind. He reached toward the table and grabbed the photo of the dirty, slightly bloody, glaring Robin and placed it on the last page of his book. The Boy Wonder was going to be the final one; his greatest triumph. He had often thought about taking on Batman but, when he had finally come to Gotham City and heard about a _boy_ that the well-known hero was always talking about, he couldn't resist. He would be breaking a sidekick and hurting a hero at the same time! He wasn't getting paid for this one but he didn't care. This one was for himself; nobody else would ever be able to say that they had broken Batman's "unbreakable" sidekick. He would be glorified by villains everywhere and he would never be forgotten!

The one regret that Kirik had was the fact that he had abandoned his search for the man who had taken his family away from him. He had become too involved in the world of secrecy, darkness and money and hadn't kept his promise. It had been over thirty years, though, and the man was probably already dead or rotting in a prison somewhere.

He sighed, shut the scrapbook and closed his eyes. He could hear Batman yelling at his sidekick, who was probably scared out of his mind by now. This was a perfect plan – he could already see that the boy didn't want the older hero to be here with him. Breaking Robin was going to be his most impressive victory and he couldn't wait to see the results. _Time to go work on that poster..._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and comments Psyche Castle, Owan, Blas, JokerFan2011 and mystery guest!

Mystery guest - description is an area of weakness for me so thanks for asking those questions! Robin's age is ambiguous in this story so it's up to you. :) In my head I always see Robin in ankle-length tights and his boots are just high enough to cover the ends of them. So, his feet are not covered but his legs are and that question wasn't silly at all. Like I said, description is one of my weak points so ask away; there is always room for me to improve. Thanks! :-)

 **Chapter 5:**

"Robin, if you ever say anything like that again I will…" Batman's sentence was interrupted by a humorless chuckle from across the room.

"What, Batman. You will what? You heard him: there's nothing either of us can do to stop that stuff so, if he's feeding you and keeping you safe, why can't he just let you go? At least you wouldn't have to see me…" this time it was Robin's sentence that was interrupted.

"Robin, don't," Batman commanded. "We are going to get out of this but we need to do it quickly. Let's forget about everything that just happened and focus on escaping. Look at me!" he yelled the last sentence.

Robin had dropped his eyes to the floor, frustrated that Batman was about to watch him have to endure this type of treatment. He shook his head when his partner yelled at him and ground out, "We need to get _you_ out of here so that you can come back for me. I was trying to do that but you just had to tell me what to do, didn't you?! You couldn't let me work on him…" Robin was shouting now as he lifted his head to glare at his partner.

"No, Robin, I'm not going to let you 'work on him' because he won't change his mind!" Batman didn't want to continue to yell at his partner but he had to get Robin to focus. "You heard what he said and, if he lets me go, I probably won't be able to find you quickly and you will be in the same predicament that you are currently in except you will be alone! Now, I need you to focus on escaping because that is our top priority."

Robin mumbled, "At least if you were gone you wouldn't see me let you down."

"ROBIN!" Batman roared. "I have never seen you this discouraged in all the time I have known you! For the last time I am telling you to focus on _escaping_ and stop thinking about failing or disappointment or anything else like that. Got it?!"

They both took a deep breath and stared at each other. Robin gave him a slight nod and Batman was relieved but didn't fully understand the reasoning behind his partner's negative words. Robin was usually so optimistic, no matter the circumstances! This was another thing they were going to be discussing when they were back in the Batcave. Batman was so involved in his own thoughts that he was startled when Robin began speaking to him.

"Sorry," Robin stated. There was a quick pause then he continued, "You're right; let's find a way out." He lifted his face and examined the ceiling thoughtfully. Batman knew that look: Robin was trying to figure out a way to contort his body into some kind of position that would allow him to free either himself or Batman.

"You know," Robin continued as he glanced at the door, "that guy is really kind of stupid. You are dangerous, smart, strong and a bunch of other things," Robin gave him a huge grin, "and yet _you're_ the one who will be healthy and at full strength. What kind of villain wants the more experienced hero kept alive and well?"

"The kind that knows he won't be able to escape his restraints," Kirik sneered as he walked into the room carrying a large poster board. "I am a genius and I have never done anything even _remotely_ close to being stupid. That grin will be wiped from your face soon, young hero. Wait, are you truly a hero? Let's see…"

Kirik raised the poster in front of Robin's face: "Here you are, so close to saving your partner, but giving up and failing instead. Then there's this one, where you are _resting_ beside him instead of _fighting_ for him." He paused to laugh when he saw Robin's eyes wide with distress. "Finally, in this one your partner is so disappointed in you that he gave you _this_ ," he lightly smacked the swollen cheek again, "to demonstrate his disapproval. Jack," he called, "bring in that easel so we can allow the Boy…what is it that Joker calls you?...ah, yes, the Boy _Blunder_ to see all of the mistakes he has made up to this point."

Robin stared at the pictures as the tall redhead came in and set up the stand. He, _Robin the Boy Wonder,_ had already failed three times and the evidence was right in front of him.

Kirik placed the poster on the easel and moved it two feet in front of Robin, blocking his view of everything, including Batman. He patted the top of Robin's head and whispered, "Don't worry little one; this is only the beginning. You will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate that you are unworthy to be called a 'hero'. In fact, you aren't even worthy to be called a 'sidekick'." He chuckled, glanced at Batman and strode out the door, this time slamming it all the way shut.

"Robin, talk to me; tell me what's going on," Batman shouted as he tried to find his partner's face over and around the tall poster. The man hadn't shown the pictures to Batman; the only thing Batman had seen was the widening of Robin's eyes and the flicker of despair that had passed through them.

"Robin," he yelled again, "I need you to focus on my voice. Tell me what you are looking at; let me help you."

Robin couldn't take his eyes away from the pictures. _Holy incompetence._ He had been _three feet_ away from the door but he had given up and now, because of him, they were here. He heard Batman's voice but ignored it because he knew Batman just wanted to yell at him for giving up. He remembered the bump in the road and the slap of an arm across his face. That had to be accidental; Batman would never intentionally harm him. Right?

"Robin!" Batman's shout was louder than before and Robin's attention was diverted. He couldn't see around the poster; he couldn't see anything _but_ the poster. He closed his eyes before answering Batman; there was no way he was going to tell his partner what was in those pictures.

"I'm here, Batman, everything's fine," Robin tried to keep his voice steady but Batman detected a small tremble.

"Everything is not fine, Robin. Tell me what you are looking at so we can figure out what to do."

"Just some stupid pictures, Batman, it's no big deal. Let's just find a way out, okay?"

Batman was frustrated but he allowed Robin to change the subject.

"I don't really have any ideas, yet. We have u-bolts around our wrists and ankles that go through the wall and the nuts are on the other side; the only thing I can do is arch my back," Batman stated as he looked at the metal, again trying to find a weakness.

" _You_ don't have any ideas?" Robin was surprised. Batman always had a plan; he always found a way out. If Batman didn't know what to do….

"Okay, well, give me a minute to try something and I'll get back to you," Robin said as a thought entered his mind and he started wiggling his left leg around. He was attempting to create some space between his ankle and the bolt but all he was doing was shredding the bottom of his tights and chafing the skin, causing it to bleed.

Batman saw blood begin to drip onto the floor. "Robin, what are you doing?" he demanded. The drops were turning into a trickle and he became concerned. "Robin! What are you doing? Answer me!" he commanded.

Robin was focused on his ankle. There was no way he was going to be able to _pull_ it out but maybe, if it was bloody enough, he could _slide_ it out. He was thankful that he didn't have to worry about trying to get his boot through the restraint.

"ROBIN," Batman roared at him this time, "tell me what you are doing. _Now!_ "

"Holy inquisition, Batman, I said give me a minute! I'm just working on getting my ankle bloody enough to slide up and out of the bolt!"

"You're what?!" Batman asked incredulously.

"You have a better idea? You still have your boots on; you can't do it. So, let _me_ try this while _you_ continue to think of another way to escape. Geez!" Robin shouted in exasperation.

"What's all the noise about in here?" Jason came stomping into the room. "The boss went out and left me ta keep an eye on ya so here I am, checking on ya, when I really want ta be reading my book in _peace_!"

"Robin and I were merely having a discussion," Batman said calmly. "Sorry about the noise; we'll keep it down from now on."

The man nodded and left, leaving the door wide open behind him. Batman heard a quiet chuckle from behind the poster.

"What's so funny, Robin?" he asked. "What about this situation is so humorous that you can't stop yourself from laughing?"

"I've just never heard of a henchman that _reads_ ," Robin whispered, trying not to laugh too loudly. "They're just a bunch of goons – some with muscles – that the villain sends after us because he is scared of being hit! You have to admit, it's a great pict…" his voice faded as he heard the word he was about to say and looked at the poster. "Sorry, I'll get back to work."

They heard the slamming of a door and less than a minute later the villain came walking in and, without even glancing at Batman, went straight to Robin.

"My henchman tells me that you have been making a lot of noise," Kirik stated as he moved the easel back so he could glare at the boy.

"We both have," Batman declared, "so if you are planning on handing out punishment it should also be directed at me."

Kirik rolled his eyes as he continued to look at Robin. "Batman sure wants a lot of attention, doesn't he? Of course, he is a _real_ hero, while you are just a sidekick." He took the poster down and turned the easel around a little bit so that both Batman and Robin would be able to see the display.

Robin was watching the man carefully and knew what was about to happen. "Don't!" he suddenly shouted, startling both the villain and Batman.

"What?" Kirik smirked. "What did you say?"

"Don't. You will regret what you are thinking about doing when I have escaped," Robin's voice was shaking a little but it was also menacing and nobody doubted that the Boy Wonder would follow through with his threat.

"Oh, I get it – you are ashamed of what you see here and you know he," Kirik stared straight at Batman, "will be disappointed." He shrugged and looked back at Robin, "You won't be able to escape anyway so…" he put the poster up on the easel and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and for checking up on me Psyche Castle, Blas, Batman Dude, Owan and JokerFan2011! Sorry for the delay - a trip to the ER, a sick child and spending two hours a night nit-picking (again!) kept me kind of busy. We are nit-free as of tonight and the little one is almost completely healthy so I'm back. :)

Mystery guest - No, I haven't watched the movie and you're not being a bug. ;-) I will get to it sometime in the (possibly) near future.

 **Chapter 6:**

Robin dropped his eyes to the ground as Batman studied the poster. The man who had trained him was looking at pictures of his partner – no, his _sidekick_ – failing every time he tried to be heroic. _Batman_ would have made it out the door and _Batman_ would not have allowed the men to take Robin. He would have made sure his partner was safe before doing anything else; Robin had just let everything happen. Robin pushed his tongue against the inside of his left cheek; Batman had not done it on purpose. Right?

Batman looked at the pictures then over at Robin, who had his head down and his hands clenched into fists. What did his partner have to be ashamed about? The gas had been powerful and Batman doubted that he would have made it any farther than Robin had. They were unconscious; there was no way Robin could have done anything to stop the men from taking them. Robin knew that Batman would never intentionally hurt him. Right?

"Robin," Batman said quietly. When his partner didn't answer he said the one thing he knew Robin _needed_ to hear: "Robin, there is nothing in any of these pictures that would cause me to be disappointed in you."

Robin didn't respond and kept his eyes on the ground. One thought began to pulse in his brain: _you failed_. Over and over it repeated itself and Robin suddenly understood why Joker's nickname for him was "Boy Blunder". It was true – Batman was always the one doing the saving – and Robin _was_ just a sidekick, not a hero.

"Robin," Batman tried again, "you refused to leave without me and that gas was strong. I wouldn't have been able to make it out that door, especially if I was trying to drag someone with me." _That takes care of the first one._ "Did you notice that we are both knocked out? I don't expect you to get up and fight just like I wouldn't expect myself to do that. How are we supposed to fight when we are unconscious?" _Two down, one to go._ "I would never hurt you on purpose, Robin, you know that. See how my arm is completely limp across your face? If I did hit you it was entirely accidental; I didn't even wake up until we were already here! Now, look at me."

Robin slowly raised his head and Batman saw the shame that filled his young partner's eyes. The villain was not going to be happy when they were out of these restraints. Robin had already threatened him aloud and Batman was, at this very moment, trying to decide how to best go about beating the man to a pulp for making Robin feel this way.

"Excuses," Robin suddenly snapped. "That's what those are: excuses for failure! I am not, nor will I ever be, a hero. _You_ are the hero and I am just your sidekick. I'm not your partner, Batman, I'm your _sidekick_!" he yelled in frustration. "Everyone has always called me your sidekick and now I understand why. Just…just leave me alone," he whispered the last sentence and dropped his head again.

Batman stared at his partner, stunned that Robin was thinking all of that just from looking at three little pictures that could just as easily be directed at Batman.

"Robin…" Batman started but he didn't know what else to say so he stopped.

* * *

 **The next morning:**

"Good morning, sleepy-head!" Kirik sang as he walked through the door and over to Robin. "Come on, wake up, time to start the day off with a bang!" he grinned as Robin lifted his head, glanced once at Batman and then glared at his captor.

Batman's head snapped up when he heard the man enter the room. He saw Robin glance over at him, shame still etched deep into his eyes, and began pushing against the metal bolts again.

"Why, Robin, you don't look very happy today. What's wrong? Did the hero get mad at you?" Kirik tapped the poster as he, too, saw the emotion in Robin's blue eyes.

"I'm not mad at him; he did nothing wrong!" Batman was already shouting at the villain.

"Tsk, tsk, Batman. Like I said before," Kirik glanced over his shoulder and glared at the hero, "this is not about you."

"Then let him go," Robin's voice was quiet but his tone was filled with anger. "You obviously don't need him so…"

"Oh, but I do need him!" Kirik exclaimed, turning back to Robin. " _You_ need him! I'm sure he's not looking forward to seeing you break but at least he won't have to go around bragging about how strong his little 'partner' is when he knows that his _sidekick_ really isn't very strong at all."

"He is my _partner_ and he is strong enough to last through whatever you have planned," Batman growled furiously.

"Holy interruptions, Batman, I can defend myself," Robin sounded a little annoyed. "I'm _Robin_ , remember?" He seemed to be a little more confident and Batman tried to catch his eye. Robin, however, refused to look at his partner; choosing instead to glare at the man who was trying to break him.

"Yes, Batman, he's _Robin_ ," Kirik mocked as he turned around and walked over to Batman. "How are you feeling?" he inquired as he pushed the button on his watch and the nutrients flowed through the IV into Batman's body. "Refreshed and energetic, I assume?"

Batman ignored the questions and snarled at the man instead.

"I brought something for you," Kirik said, his eyes wide with silent laughter.

"Ask him if he cares," Robin mumbled and the villain turned around, irritated with the interruption. Robin was still staring at the man but he had added a slight grin to his expression.

"Really, ask him," Robin said, "because he doesn't. He doesn't care about you or anything you have for him. What he does care about is taking you down; look into his eyes. And he will. Whether I break or not – which I won't – he _will_ take you down. Unless, of course, I get there first," Robin was almost smirking and Batman chuckled in his head.

"You see, I spent the night thinking about those pictures," Robin tilted his head toward the poster on his right, "and I realized several things. First: yes, the door is only three feet away and I was so close and there is _no_ ," he glanced quickly at Batman, "excuse for not making it out. However, we had been in that warehouse for less than a minute when you sprung your trap and, as the room became smoky, I saw you running up the steps to the manager's office like a terrified rat. What does that make you? I'm thinking either really stupid, for not being up there in the first place, or a coward. You said last night that you were a genius and have never done anything stupid so, by your own words, you are a coward," Robin paused to take a breath. Before he could continue his monologue the man was in front of him with a hand squeezing Robin's neck.

"I am not a coward," Kirik whispered darkly. "You will pay for that little speech, _sidekick_."

"But…I…" Robin was having trouble breathing and was starting to see flashes of light. The man suddenly dropped his hand and Robin gulped in the air.

"But I wasn't," he coughed, "done explaining. Second…" but Robin didn't get a chance to finish because the man left the room. There was the sound of furniture breaking and the villain's two goons began shouting at each other to move out of the way.

"I guess he didn't want to know what else I learned," Robin grinned as he looked at Batman. "I'm sorry about last night," he sighed as his grin faded. "I let him get in my head and he knew what to do and I didn't want you to be…disappointed in me."

"I don't know if you heard me say this last night but there is nothing in those pictures that would give me any reason to be disappointed in you," Batman replied. "Robin, no matter what he – or anyone else – says, you are _not_ just a sidekick. You are my partner and _both_ members of the Dynamic Duo are heroes to the citizens of Gotham City. Also, I really enjoyed your explanation of what you learned," he grinned at his young partner.

Kirik stormed back into the room and stopped directly in front of Robin. He held up his right hand, the one with a pair of scissors in it. Robin's eyes widened slightly and Batman pushed against the restraints but the man just stood there, the scissors chomping the air beside him.

"Who are you?" Kirik asked, his voice full of rage.

Robin was a little confused by the question and debated whether or not to answer.

"Who are you?!" Kirik demanded again.

 _Fine, we'll play some mind games._ "Holy memory bank, are you an idiot?! I'm Robin, also known as the Boy Wonder. I'm pretty sure we've met before; your name is…let me think," Robin looked thoughtfully at the door. Then he shrugged as his gaze returned to Kirik's face, "I guess I don't know it because you aren't important enough to remember."

"Robin…" Batman warned and shook his head, trying to get Robin to stop before something really bad happened.

The scissors began eating up the air between the body of the man and Robin's chest. Robin stiffened when he felt them slice through his uniform but was surprised when they immediately stopped moving. There was a short pause and then the scissors were lightly brushing his skin as the man began cutting a circle in Robin's uniform. No blood was being drawn from his body and he was relieved but worried about what was going to happen next.

"Jack, bring in the lighter," the man called out and Batman again yelled at the villain to leave his partner alone.

"Shut up already, hero!" Kirik shouted as he finished the last cut in the circle and pulled the scissors away from Robin. He tossed them on the table and held up his prize: the 'R' from Robin's uniform. The henchman had brought in the lighter and Kirik held it up to the letter that symbolized the young hero's identity.

"Goodbye, _Robin_ ," the man scoffed as he lit the material on fire then dropped it on the ground and left the room, slamming the door shut again.

"NO!" Now it was Robin who was pushing against the metal bolts as hard as he could; he was _Robin_ and he could reach it before…but it was too late. The 'R' had been reduced to ashes and some of Robin's pride had gone with it. He stared at the small pile of black in anger and then sadness. He shook his head; he was still Robin. _But that was my trademark…._

Batman watched the emotions flowing through Robin's eyes. He knew his partner was proud of wearing that letter, proud that the bad guys knew who he was because of it. This was a blow to his pride but he would be okay. He was, after all, _Robin_.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks, Blas, Owan and JokerFan2011, for the reviews and concern. Everything is back to normal now. :)

If you are squeamish there is a short paragraph about three quarters of the way through the chapter that you might want to skip.

 **Chapter 7:**

Robin was quiet throughout the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Batman wasn't sure how to handle the situation; this was something they had never experienced and he didn't know what to say. He watched as Robin stared at the ceiling, then the door, then the bolts on his right side and repeated the cycle over and over. Not once did his gaze land on Batman, the pictures on the poster or the pile of ashes on the floor. Once in a while he would slide his left ankle around in the restraint and the blood would start dripping again.

A few hours after he had burned what Robin felt was a major part of his identity, Kirik quietly opened the door and stood there for a moment. Robin was on the metal bolts portion of his never-ending triangle; he had just finished staring at the door. When his head came around again and he saw the villain invading his space he glared instead of stared and his expression went from troubled to furious.

"Are you hungry?" Kirik inquired.

Robin relaxed his face and shrugged indifferently, refusing to give the man the satisfaction of a positive answer.

"Thirsty?" the villain asked.

Robin shrugged again and Kirik was a little frustrated. The sidekick should be asking for food and water by now – it had been almost three days.

Batman was watching his partner carefully. He could see the slight shaking of Robin's body but his partner was controlling it so well that the villain didn't even notice it.

Robin grinned unexpectedly and both Batman and Kirik raised their eyebrows in surprise. Robin rolled his eyes and shook his head; Batman was worried about where this was going to go.

"I'm sure you're expecting me to start begging for things but that's not going to happen," Robin's throat was dry and he was croaking out the words, "because how I feel is not important. _You_ will be the one pleading for mercy soon because Batman is at full strength and right now he is thinking about how he is going to beat you to a pulp and then throw you in Arkham. No matter what happens to me, he will come after you and everyone knows that you don't want to be on Batman's bad side."

Kirik growled; the kid was annoying and really good at getting under a person's skin, just like he had heard when he was researching the sidekick's abilities. He stalked toward Robin with his hands clenched into fists; the punishment would be physical this time. Robin's grin vanished and he smirked instead. Batman's eyes widened and he shook his head as fast as he could, trying to get Robin's attention. If Batman was correct in his thinking, his partner was about to lose their main chance of escape because he wanted to taunt the villain.

Kirik was almost to Robin, his hand drawn back and aimed at the Boy Wonder's face. It didn't make it there, however, because Robin suddenly slid his bloody left ankle out of the metal bolt and smashed his foot into his captor's face, breaking the man's nose. The villain stumbled back with his hand over his face, attempting to stop the blood. His third step was right in front of the IV tube and he tripped over it, falling backward and hitting his head on the log wall as he tumbled to the ground. Blood was now streaming from the back of his head and he saw double while his vision blurred. Kirik had known about Robin's athletic abilities and was furious that he had allowed the sidekick to take him by surprise. He slowly stood up and dizzily walked toward, and then out, the door.

"Robin, why did you do that?!" Batman exclaimed.

"Because now he will be focused on tightening my left leg so that I won't be able to attack him again. That will leave my right foot free, after I slide it out of the bolt, to open my utility belt on my left hip and pull out the mini Bat-blaster that I…" he trailed off when he remembered Batman's anger upon finding out that Robin had one in his belt.

"Did you stop to think that maybe now he will tighten _both_ legs?" Batman growled. His partner could be impulsive sometimes and now was not the time to act that way.

Robin dropped his eyes to the ground. "Uh, no, I didn't. Holy stupidity, Batman, I'm sorry," he mumbled. He tried to twist his left leg around to his left hip but, even though he was one of the most flexible human beings Batman had ever seen, it was impossible for his knee to turn inside out to get there. Robin sighed; he was _really_ stupid sometimes. He should have done the right ankle to begin with; his left foot was still free and, if he had used his right instead, they would already be out of this mess.

Kirik strode into the room – bandages across his nose and wrapped around his head – followed by Jason, who carried a black bag in his right hand.

"Grab his leg and slam it back against the wall, to the left of that bolt," Kirik growled to the muscular man who dropped the bag on the ground, walked up to Robin and followed the villain's instructions perfectly. Robin flinched when his leg hit the wall and he tried to kick away but the man was strong and easily held it in place. Kirik opened the bag and brought out another u-bolt, pleased that he had been prepared for a situation like this. He had expected Batman to try something but realized that the sidekick's legs, although muscular, were much smaller than those of the older hero. He quickly drilled two holes in the wall then placed the bolt over Robin's calf.

"Tighten the nuts, Jack," the villain yelled to the man on the other side of the wall and the bolt slowly began to secure Robin's leg to the wall. Kirik didn't tell his henchman to stop until he heard a slight 'crack' and listened as Robin tried to hold back a grunt of pain. He stood, put his right hand on Robin's chin and squeezed it tightly as he snarled, "If you _ever_ try anything like that again, you will get something much more painful than a minor fracture of the leg. Do we understand each other?" his voice was low and menacing.

Robin couldn't move his head or open his mouth to respond so he raised his eyebrows at the man and rolled his eyes. Kirik roughly shoved Robin's head to the right as he released his chin and, satisfied with the sound of bone against wood, turned around and left the room, leaving his henchman to clean up. Jason packed the tools in the black bag, picked it up, pulled the bolt to test the security then followed his boss out the door.

"Robin," Batman said loudly, hoping his young partner was still awake. "Status report, now!" Batman wanted to distract Robin from the pain but had to know the extent of his injuries first.

Robin was awake and turned his head so he was looking at Batman. Blood was trickling down past his right ear and he moved his jaw from side to side before answering.

"Okay, um, slightly fractured leg, much larger headache than the one I had before, jaw is really sore and my left foot is numb. I still smell like dirt but now there is sweat and blood mixed in; basically, I stink. How is my hair? Is it a 'cool' messy or an 'I've been captured and look stupid' messy?"

Batman stared at his partner in amazement – how could he think about his _hair_ at a time like this? He shook his head, "Sorry, Robin, but I think it's an 'I've been captured' messy and it has a streak of red on the right side."

It was too painful to grin so Robin left that out when he whispered, "He didn't tighten the right one!" And he began to work, rubbing his right ankle against the metal restraint.

Batman was grateful for that small oversight on the part of the villain but knew that Robin was quickly running out of energy. He needed fuel and there was nothing Batman could do to help with that. He heard a noise outside the door and said quietly, "Robin, stop!"

Robin heard his partner so he stopped and looked at the door. They were surprised to see the tall, skinny, red-haired henchman walk in with a sandwich. The aroma was intoxicating to Robin; the last time he had eaten was the night before they were captured – three full days ago – but he _wasn't_ going to beg for food.

The man glanced back toward the door before walking quickly over to Robin and holding the food in front of him. Robin stared at the meat inside and his stomach growled at him. _Holy…dilemma…._

"This isn't something I think anybody should have ta go through so I brought ya a little snack," Jack whispered as he glanced back at the door again. "I came on the job fer the money, not ta see a kid waste away, ya know what I mean?"

Robin nodded but his eyes didn't stray from the sandwich. Then he pulled his head back and looked over at Batman, questioning his decision. Batman had been studying the man's body language and carefully listening to the tone of his voice; he seemed sincere so Batman nodded and Robin opened his mouth. The man allowed him to take a large bite and he began chewing so rapidly that Batman was afraid he was going to choke.

"Robin, slow down, take it easy," he said quietly.

"I don't really know if he has time fer that," Jack answered as he looked over at Batman. "The boss stepped out but I don't know where or fer how long."

The tall redhead fed Robin the rest of the sandwich and he was just swallowing the last bite when they heard a door opening. The henchman's eyes opened wide and he raced out of the room without looking back. Batman heard shouting as he watched Robin quickly lick the evidence off the corners of his mouth. There were some loud thumps and then the villain stomped furiously into the room.

"So, has anything unusual happened while I've been gone?" Kirik asked as he glared at Robin from across the room. Robin stared back, refusing to get the henchman in trouble.

Without another word Kirik walked across the room and slammed his fist into the sidekick's stomach, moving quickly to his left to avoid the mess as Robin threw up everything that had just been given to him. Kirik punched him one more time and Robin gagged as his whole body started shaking and he dropped his head.

" _Get away from him, leave him alone_!" Batman thundered as he struggled to get free. He became furious when he saw his partner's small body trembling violently.

"You will eat when _I_ say you can eat which, now, will not happen. _EVER_!" Kirik roared. He put his watch under Robin's face and pushed the button that allowed the liquids to flow into Batman's body. "Jealous?" he sneered then glared at Batman before stalking out the door.

"Robin, look at me. Robin!" Batman demanded. His partner's entire body was still shaking and Batman was worried that Robin wasn't responding.

"Robin," he shouted, "let me hear something, let me know you're awake!"

Robin was staring at the mess on the floor and saw the remains of his identity mingling with the fluids. He heard Batman's voice but his throat was raw and he was too tired to try to say anything.

"Robin, talk to me!" Batman yelled again so Robin closed his eyes, licked his lips, and spit out everything that was left in his mouth.

"I'm good," he whispered, hoping it was loud enough for Batman to hear.

Batman saw the movement and heard the quiet words.

"Look at me," Batman commanded, although his voice was gentle and shaking a little.

Robin slowly lifted his head, his face pale and his eyes dark with pain.

"Sorry," he whispered again, "that you had to see that. I'll be stronger, I promise."

Batman was shocked. Robin was _apologizing_ for the actions of that man?!

"You _are_ strong, Robin, you don't have anything to prove to me. None of this was your fault; you have _nothing_ to apologize for and…"

Robin quietly interrupted him, "No, sorry I used...wrong leg and, uh, gave in." He wasn't looking at Batman anymore and he was trying to move his right ankle around but the movement was nearly imperceptible.

Batman was shocked again, "Robin! You didn't give in to that man! The henchman fed you because, for some reason, he wanted to help. That is _not_ giving in!"

But Robin was staring at the mess in front of him again. "Not now, Batman, please. Just…be quiet," he whispered, his tone pleading.

Batman glanced at the floor when he saw the devastated look on Robin's face and quickly discovered the source of his partner's distress: there was no longer a distinct pile of ashes. The evidence of the symbol that Robin was so proud of had disappeared. So Batman closed his mouth and gave his partner some time to think, even though he knew it was probably a mistake.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews and comments Psyche Castle, JokerFan2011, Batman Dude, Blas and Carl!

Batman Dude - Batman is bolted to a wall in the same manner as Robin so, technically I guess, he is not tied up. ;-)

Blas - I would _love_ to be able to write the regular villains well enough to use them in a published story (I think it would be especially fun to do one with King Tut) but I can't yet write them the way they should be written. I've been working on characterization from the TV show because I want the bad guys to be at least somewhat authentic. So far the only one that is even a little bit believable is my Joker, I think...? Anyway, that's why my villains are almost always original and I hope to be able to figure out how to write the "real" ones soon. I don't really like original character villains but, if I didn't use them, there would be no "poor little Robin" stories from me. :) I might hold off on publishing another story after this one so that I can work on characterization. Thanks for being patient with me.

Carl - you know me well... ;-)

 **Chapter 8:**

The villain stayed away for the rest of the afternoon. Robin kept trying to shift his body around; his muscles were screaming at him because of the inactivity and his left leg was throbbing through the cramp in his calf. The metal u-bolt was tight against the fracture and the leg below it was slowly going numb.

Batman knew that being restrained against a wall was harder on Robin's athletic muscles than it was on his more powerful ones. His partner's body had calmed down but it would still shudder every once in a while. Batman was proud of Robin's strength but he was also concerned about what else the villain might have in store for his young partner. They hadn't spoken since Robin had asked for silence and Batman didn't like not knowing what was going through his partner's mind. Robin always expressed whatever he was feeling but now he was just…there.

"Robin?" Batman said quietly. Robin shook his head but Batman wasn't going to allow this to continue. "Robin!" his voice was still quiet but it was commanding. "Look at me, Robin, and do it now!"

Robin lifted his head and glared at Batman. "Stop! I don't want to talk about anything right now!" He dropped his head again and tried moving his right ankle. It didn't work; he didn't have any energy left.

Batman was startled by the viciousness of Robin's glare but, then again, he _was_ trained by the man with the Bat-glare. "I don't care if you don't want to talk about anything because we are going to anyway."

"This would be easier if you weren't here," Robin grumbled and he sighed.

"Why?" Batman truly didn't understand why Robin would want to be alone in a situation like this.

"Having you here all strong and healthy and watchful…just forget it," Robin mumbled.

Batman sighed. "Robin, just say it," he said quietly. "Why is it hard for you to have me here? Why do you want to be alone?"

Robin, his eyes still on the floor, shook his head. "I said forget it, alright!" he raised his voice in frustration.

"I'm not going to 'forget it' because we still need to find a way out of here and we can't do that if you are going to sit there in silence!" Batman was frustrated, too, and he was almost yelling at Robin. "We don't have to talk about how you _feel_ but we do need to talk about this situation. Try to focus on that, okay?"

"I AM trying!" Robin yelled back. It took all of his strength but he lifted his head, shame again lacing the pain in his eyes. "I'm trying to forget that you are here watching me _fail_ and I'm trying to forget that all this guy wants to do is _break me_ and I'm definitely trying to forget that I had a chance to help us get out of here but I _WASTED_ it because I wanted to kick him in the face! You don't have an older, stronger and more heroic partner, Batman, so you can't understand anything about this situation. Why do I want to be alone? Because I hate seeing the pity in your eyes that you probably don't even know is there! Because I know you want to help and you can't and it frustrates you and that frustrates me! Because I don't want you to see me weak and worried about breaking and…" he was exhausted and dropped his head again.

Batman was stunned and his mind filled with rage, directed at the villain. Robin was right; he couldn't understand the situation from the younger hero's point of view, just like Robin wouldn't be able to comprehend what Batman was thinking and feeling. He opened his mouth to speak but heard soft snores filled with tiny groans and decided to let Robin sleep.

* * *

 **The next morning:**

Batman opened his eyes, surprised that he had fallen asleep. He looked across the room at Robin, who was either asleep or unconscious. He tested each bolt – like he had been doing often throughout their time in captivity– but still couldn't find any weaknesses. He needed to get Robin out of here but he had _no_ ideas! It was strange, not having a plan for escape, and he never wanted to feel like this again. The first thing he was going to do when they returned to the Batcave was work on the mini Bat-blasters – they would have been very useful in this situation. It was actually the second thing he would do, after he and Robin had a long, _long_ discussion about what he should and should not be putting into his utility belt.

Robin opened his eyes wearily. How long had they been here? Did Batman have a plan to escape? He lifted his head and stared across the room in shock: his partner was gone! The metal bolts were gone, the IV tube was gone; it was as if he had never even been there! Robin grinned slightly and sighed in relief; he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not he would break in front of his hero anymore and it would be easier to focus on staying strong when there was one less thing to worry about.

Batman was rolling the kinks out of his neck when he noticed Robin lift his head. His partner's eyes were glassy and he looked confused. Batman exhaled in relief when Robin sighed and gave him a small grin. Robin's eyes were still unfocused, though, and he was mumbling to himself now.

"I can wait for you to come back, Batman. I'm strong; I can wait," Robin whispered calmly. He started rubbing his right ankle against the metal, this time with a little more strength. It was so nice to have the burden of being carefully watched off his back.

"Robin, you don't have to wait for me, I'm right here!" Batman stated loudly, concern manifesting itself in his voice. Robin thought he was gone?!

Kirik entered the room while Batman was talking and he smiled. Today would be the day; he could feel it. Today, the Boy Wonder would realize that he was just another helpless sidekick that always needed protection. Today, Batman's "unbreakable" Robin was going to break. All he wanted to hear from Robin was a "please". Add it to anything the sidekick said and it would be considered begging; _that_ was something Batman would deem unacceptable and he would reject Robin. Kirik could hear the conversation in his head:

"A real hero wouldn't break," Batman would sneer as he loomed over the sidekick.

"I'm sorry, Batman," Robin would cry pitifully.

"You are no longer worthy of the name Robin and you are no longer my sidekick," Batman would be merciless and the "Boy Wonder" would be pleading for forgiveness.

Kirik laughed out loud at the pictures in his mind and Batman turned his head to glare at the man, fury flashing in his eyes.

"This is your last warning," Batman growled. "Let him go and all I will do is beat you to a pulp and throw you in Arkham. If you don't let him go…" Batman let his voice trail off; a thinly veiled threat that actually caused the villain's heart to pound a little faster.

"I'm about to let him go because he is about to break," Kirik replied, condescension clearly evident in his tone. He walked over to Robin, whose eyes were vacant, and waved his hand in front of the sidekick's face.

"Yoo-hoo, anybody in there?" he chuckled. "Actually, was anybody _ever_ really in there? How are you feeling: sad, scared, stupid? I think it's the last one," he turned to Batman, "don't you think he looks a little stupid this morning?" Kirik turned back to Robin when Batman snarled at him and was surprised to see the boy's eyes almost completely clear.

Robin shook his head slightly when he heard a voice. His vision became blurry then started to clear and he was disappointed to see that Batman was still there, directly across the room and tightly restrained to the wall. The villain was in front of his face and insulting him so he spit at the man and mumbled, "Coward." That earned him a fist to his already bruised jaw and the right side of his head brushed against the wall; opening the slight wound he had received the day before.

Kirik wiped the spit off his face and punched the boy, upset that he was still talking back. Kirik was, he had to admit, amazed that Robin was holding out; everyone else had been done after two days and here they were at the beginning of the fourth day. Batman was right – his sidekick was strong – but Kirik knew he would break today. No _boy_ could last longer than this; of that the man was certain.

Robin had nothing left; his body was slack, his left leg was aching and he couldn't even slide his right ankle around in the metal bolt anymore. He didn't even consider begging or pleading; those were things that would _never_ come out of his mouth. If he died, so be it. The man had said that dying was breaking but that couldn't be true because the human body could die from lots of things: being shot, a car accident, falling out of a tree. People who died like that wouldn't be considered "broken" and dying from lack of nourishment was the same. Sure, he was immobile against a wall when – no, _if –_ he died but he could still be considered unbroken. So he grinned as he stared at the ground; he was unbreakable. Batman believed in him and, after all of this, Robin knew it was true. He recognized that he would always be a sidekick but he would also be an unbreakable sidekick. That would be intimidating to bad guys; just like Batman's strength and power were intimidating.

Kirik was astonished when he saw Robin grinning at the ground. Did the boy find something funny about the situation? He obviously didn't have the energy to do anything and his left leg was probably killing him. Why was he grinning? Kirik had nothing else planned because he had known that it wouldn't take too long for Robin to break. He had, obviously, been wrong so the only leverage he had now was the lack of food and water. He decided to let the kid hang there for the rest of the day and check on him tomorrow. Until he could come up with another plan of attack there was really nothing else to do. He shrugged, kicked Robin's left leg then turned and walked out the door.

Batman was confused; why was the man leaving? He pushed against his bonds when Robin flinched at the pain of a fractured leg being kicked but there was still no movement in the restraints.

"Robin," he said loudly, "talk to me."

Robin sighed quietly, "Batman, is my hair still 'I've been captured and look stupid' messy or has it turned into 'I'm an unbreakable sidekick' messy?"

Batman grinned slightly, "It's a combination of the two but I think it's leaning more toward the 'unbreakable _partner_ ' messy." He was amused that Robin would still be thinking of his hair.

"I think I might need a shower before I go to school tomorrow…uh, I don't even know what day it is so maybe I don't have school tomorrow but I still need a shower so do you think we could find a way to escape now?" Robin whispered, his lack of energy manifesting itself to Batman in a voice that was continuing to lower in volume.

"Well, I can't find any weaknesses in any part of these bolts and I've been working on them all the time. I'm sorry, Robin, but I still don't have any ideas; I can't reach anything or do anything. I don't…" Batman trailed off, frustrated because he couldn't figure out how to help them escape.

Robin sighed and attempted to shake his head. "Holy helplessness, Batman, do I have to do everything?" he grumbled but Batman heard the slight trace of humor in his voice. Robin closed his eyes and pushed all the energy he had down to his right leg. Blood began to stream from his ankle as he rubbed harder against the unforgiving metal and, just as his strength ran out, his foot slipped through the bolt and his leg began to swing limply beneath his body.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and comments Psyche Castle, Blas, JokerFan2011 and Carl!

 **Chapter 9:**

Kirik paced around the front room of the old cabin. This had never happened to him before. Every single one of his other jobs had been done after two days. Well, there was that guy who lasted two and a half but he didn't really count that one because it took so long for the man's heart to finally stop beating; he was mostly dead on the morning of the third day.

Kirik shook his head to clear his thoughts – the other ones no longer mattered. He was not going to let a _kid_ outlast him. But…now what? Physical violence wasn't his style; he didn't even enjoy hitting the sidekick so there was really no point to it. He had done well when he toyed with the boy's emotions but he didn't have any other ideas of how to do that. Taking the 'R' had been a big blow; he didn't think Robin had fully recovered from that yet. It was obvious that the boy was proud of being a sidekick to a real hero so what else could he do to tear his pride to pieces? The utility belt – that was part of the kid's costume – and so was…Kirik grinned. Those two things would be perfect.

* * *

Robin wasn't moving. Batman knew that his partner had nothing left and doubted that he would wake up in time to try to get the mini Bat-blaster before the villain came back. He might not even have enough strength to get his leg up to his utility belt. Batman tried rubbing his wrists and ankles against the metal but his gloves and boots hindered his ability to move them more than a millimeter. How could he be here for three or four days and not have at least _one_ escape plan?!

Robin was awake but too tired to open his eyes. He felt his right leg hanging freely under his body and knew he was supposed to do something important with it. If he didn't feel so sluggish he would probably be able to remember. What could he do to help himself wake up? His stomach growled at him but for some reason he had a bad memory about eating so he dismissed that feeling. What if he – his thought was interrupted by a blast of freezing cold water that covered his entire body. His head shot up and his eyes flew open.

Kirik marched into the room with the more muscular of the two henchmen, who was carrying a large bucket. Batman knew what was about to happen but before he could even open his mouth the water had been tossed out of the bucket and all over Robin.

Robin gasped and sputtered as the water drenched him and began dripping onto the floor. He started shivering and, through hazy vision, saw the villain in front of him and one of the goons walking out the door. The man was talking to him but he couldn't turn any of the sounds into words. He heard a questioning tone but didn't have an answer because he didn't understand the question. There was a loud roaring in his ears and he couldn't hear _anything_ anymore. He was confused and the man kept turning away from him and then back to him. What was he supposed to do?

"Hello, again, kid. I don't know who you are because you don't have any identifying marks so…who are you?"

"You are going to pay for this!" Batman roared at the villain.

Kirik ignored him and asked again, "Who are you? You don't know, either?" He was pleased that the sidekick wasn't talking back anymore.

"I'm going to…" Batman roared again but was interrupted.

"You're going to what, Batman?" the man turned around to stare at him, annoyed at the constant yelling and shouting. "Help him, save him? You can't even move!"

He turned back to Robin, "I need to know who you are; maybe there is something in this belt." He ripped the utility belt away from Robin's waist and tossed it across the room.

Robin felt something being torn off and looked down. He recognized his utility belt and attempted to lunge at the man, who proceeded to laugh at Robin's inability to do anything.

"I'll ask you one more time: who are you?" Kirik was still laughing at the boy's obvious distress – he had been correct in his approach.

Robin could finally understand the man and received a rush of adrenaline. The villain had not only taken his symbol but now, also, his belt!

"I am _Robin_ and I will always _be_ Robin! Go get that belt and bring it back!" he demanded, his voice scratchy and almost inaudible, and the man started to laugh so hard that he had tears in his eyes.

"You, kid, are in no position to make demands," Kirik grinned when he had calmed down. "Robin has three recognizable things that allow people to know that he is Robin and you, _boy_ , only have one; which you are about to lose. Therefore, you aren't Robin – that sidekick is dead and can never return."

Batman was frantic – there was one thing that nobody could _ever_ discover and this man was about to reveal it. Robin would not die; somehow Batman would make sure that his identity was kept secure. Even if he had to kill the guy….

The villain stepped closer to Robin and raised his left hand, going for the mask across the young hero's blue eyes. Robin's brain switched into panic mode when he figured out what was about to happen. His free right leg flew up and hit the man under the chin, spinning him around into the back of Robin's already bent right knee. The impact caused Robin's leg to slap across the villain's neck and he flexed the strong muscles, squeezing as hard as he could. The man was flailing around but was finally able to latch on to Robin's leg and attempt to pull it away.

Kirik was caught off guard when, instead of ripping the mask off of Robin's face, he was choking in the crook of the sidekick's right leg. He felt the strength and grabbed onto the taut muscles but his vision was blurring and, when he tried to call out to his henchmen, he could only whisper.

Batman watched in disbelief as his partner began to squeeze the air out of their captor. "Knockout only, Robin," he shouted; Batman wanted the man in Arkham, not dead.

Robin heard the shout and attempted to nod. He knew Batman probably hadn't seen the movement, though, so his partner would just have to trust that Robin would do the right thing.

Kirik saw double, his arms went slack and that was followed by his body going limp. He fell into darkness and didn't feel himself hit the wood floor when Robin released his neck.

Robin dropped his leg and his head. He was exhausted and now he didn't even have his utility belt and couldn't grab the mini Bat-blaster. He slowly lifted his head and, with sadness in his eyes, whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Batman shouted at him in confusion and, mostly, frustration. Robin had let the man go, he hadn't killed him, so why did he feel the need to apologize… _again_?!

Robin's neck was weak and he had dropped his head again. "I can't get it out; it was our only chance and now I can't reach it," he murmured dejectedly.

Batman tried to think of something positive to say but couldn't come up with anything because his partner was right: it was quite possibly their only chance and neither he nor Robin could get to it.

Jack came running into the room and halted in shock: his employer was knocked out on the floor, right underneath the kid he had been working to break! He looked over his right shoulder when Batman growled but then looked back at the boy, whose head was hanging down and body was completely limp.

" _Stay away from him_!" Batman thundered.

Jack was startled at the loud noise but, like he had earlier, wanted to help. If he could somehow release the Dynamic Duo before his boss woke up then maybe they would protect him until the guy was locked up. Maybe they would also put in a good word for him and his brother. Maybe…? But they were bolted to the wall, the nuts on the other side had been soldered to a pipe and the entire thing was covered with cement that went down the wall and into a concrete block. His boss had been well prepared and Jack had no ideas – not even his strong brother could tear apart a cement block and wall! They needed tools, which they didn't have because the man had planned on leaving the heroes here after breaking the kid! He began to pace, wracking his brain and coming up with nothing.

"What are you doing?" Batman asked, his voice still loud but not as threatening. This was the man who had given Robin food and, even though he didn't trust the guy, Batman felt that maybe he would be willing to help.

"I…I don't, um, have any ideas of how ta release ya and I want ta because my boss will probably wake up soon and I don't want ta be in the path of his rage and I was hoping that maybe you could, uh, _would_ protect me if I let ya out but I don't know how ta undo something covered in cement without tools…" Jack paused to take a breath.

"It's…in…the…" but Robin couldn't say anything else and he slipped into darkness.

Batman looked at the man thoughtfully. Should he allow this _henchman_ to touch Robin's utility belt? What if the man was deceiving him? But, what other choice did he have?

"I am going to allow you to do something that _nobody_ has ever been allowed to do but if you double-cross me you will pay a heavy price; you _and_ your partner," Batman's tone was intimidating and Jack had no doubt about what would happen if he disobeyed the hero's instructions. Batman turned Robin's belt around in his head so he would know exactly where the mini Bat-blaster was being kept.

"Come over here and pick up Robin's utility belt. In the third pocket to the left of the buckle you will find what looks like a small bomb. Take it out, put it under my legs and press the button on the top. Then get out of the room; it has not been tested very well yet."

Jack was shaking as he carefully walked over toward where Robin's belt lay; about four feet to the right of Batman. He found the mini Bat-blaster and followed Batman's instructions perfectly. He raced out of the room after pushing the button and was around the corner when there was a quiet rumble of what sounded like thunder and then a loud bang. Batman hadn't told him to come back in so he stayed where he was, trembling with fear.

Batman waited for what seemed like hours and finally heard the rumbling that preceded the explosion. He closed his eyes and hoped this would work the way he envisioned it instead of blasting him to pieces. There was a loud 'bang' and Batman felt the bolts release from his ankles. He opened his eyes; his ankles were bloody but that was better than being dead. Placing his feet against the wall for leverage and driving his legs forward, he pushed his wrists against the metal as hard as he could and felt the bolts give a little. He flexed his arms, arched his back, pushed with his legs and suddenly he was falling toward the floor. He landed head-first and was knocked out.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for the reviews Batman Dude and Psyche Castle! :)

 **Chapter 10:**

Jason walked through the front door of the cabin and saw his older brother huddled by the entrance to the room where the Dynamic Duo was being held captive. He was trembling and his eyes were squeezed together tightly.

"Jack, what's wrong?!" he asked in alarm as he ran to his brother's side.

Jack let out a shout of fear when he felt Jason's hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Jason shouted back and was startled when his obviously terrified older brother opened his eyes and punched him in the arm.

Jason's jaw fell open and his eyes widened in disbelief: his brother had just hit him! Jack was more surprised than his younger brother and, dropping his arm, apologized and explained the situation. He was worried that Jason would be angry; Jack had, after all, jeopardized their payday by releasing the hero that was at full-strength and could easily take them all out.

Jason frowned at his taller brother but also trusted him completely. If Jack felt they should switch sides then that's what they would do. Jack was worried about Batman's fury so Jason carefully peered around the corner and saw the hero on the floor, unconscious and without the IV. He glanced to the other side of the room and saw the sidekick still stuck on the wall and, to Jason's surprise, his now-former boss lying limply on the ground with a dark bruise around his throat. How had _that_ happened? It couldn't have been the boy – it had been four days since they had captured him and Jason knew that the man hadn't given anything to the kid except a poster, a fractured leg, a bruised jaw and an ice shower.

Kirik felt a few drops of water and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the pale face of the sidekick and he wondered why he was on the ground looking up at the boy. He felt a sharp pain when he tried to swallow and carefully put his hand on his tender throat. The memory of what had just happened came rushing back and rage filled his body: the boy had _taken him down_! He started to sit up but was met with a boot to the head and dropped back onto the floor, unconscious again.

Jack was standing in the doorway, staring at the scene before him. How were they going to get the kid down? He hadn't seen any other little bombs in that belt and neither his brother nor Batman would be able to tear the nuts out of the cement on the other side of the wall. He stiffened when he saw movement underneath Robin's body; their ex-boss was waking up! Jason was already taking care of the problem, though. He strode over to where Kirik was and, as the man was attempting to sit up, smashed his foot into the side of the villain's head. Jack knew that Kirik wouldn't be waking up from that anytime soon and he nodded a 'thank you' to his brother then cautiously approached Batman's body.

Batman heard noises but everything was blending together and he had no idea what the sounds meant. He remembered an explosion and blood and falling forward but he couldn't recall where he was or what he had been doing. Was Robin with him? He opened his eyes and saw two colorful blobs headed in his direction. The blobs stopped so Batman reached out and snatched one of them, pulling it towards him and causing a large third blob to join the smaller two.

Jack paused when he saw Batman slowly blinking his eyes. Suddenly, he was on the floor - Batman had grabbed his left ankle and pulled, causing Jack to lose his balance. Jason ran over but Jack waved his brother away. He knew Batman _slightly_ trusted him and he didn't want to do anything to lose that.

"Hey, uh, Batman, it's me. The, um, tall guy with the red hair that tried ta feed your sidekick and got out that bomb thing that helped ya blow yourself off the wall?"

Batman was confused but he kept a tight hold on the skinny blob in his hand. The large blob was talking – he could pick out some words now – and he heard "red…sidekick…bomb…." He didn't like the sound of the last two put together so he growled and slightly lifted his head. It felt very heavy and he wanted to just close his eyes but if Robin was in danger of being blown up he needed to get out of here and help him. He let his head fall back onto the ground and let go of what he could now tell was a leg. Planting his hands flat on the ground – and feeling a painful scratching on his wrists – Batman pushed himself up to his hands and knees and shook his head. His vision cleared, then wavered and he almost collapsed. There were suddenly four hands around his arms and torso and they were helping him stand up. He heard the 'clang' of metal hitting metal and looked down: there were two bloody, metal u-bolts on the ground in front of him and his wrists and hands felt lighter. He realized that there was a man on either side of him and he looked to his left. A tall, skinny red-haired man was talking about Robin and bombs again and he narrowed his eyes.

"Where is Robin…" Batman had to pause, "…and who is trying to…to blow him up?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean!" Jack was trying to explain everything to Batman but could tell that the hero had a concussion and probably didn't remember much. He took a deep breath and started over, for the fourth time.

"Your sidekick needs help and ya blew yourself off a wall with some kind of little bomb from the kid's belt," Jack hoped something would make it into Batman's brain to jog his memory.

Batman stared at the man and remembered a mini Bat-blaster in his partner's utility belt on the left hip. That led him to a picture of Robin's eyes, filled with shame and pain. Something had happened to his partner; the man said Robin needed help and Batman felt an urgency to get to him.

"Where is he?" Batman asked, not entirely trusting the two men who were keeping him from falling to the ground. He looked around the entire room but only saw a body on the floor; one that was too big to belong to his partner.

Both Jack and Jason stared at Batman in shock – he had looked straight at his sidekick, twice!

"Uh," Jack put his right hand under Batman's chin and turned his head so he was looking directly at Robin, "he's right there. In front of ya. On the wall."

Batman shook his head again to clear his slightly blurry vision and was stunned. There was Robin – one bloody leg hanging down, the other covered by a metal bolt, both arms attached to the wall with more metal bolts and his small body completely limp.

"Robin!" Batman shouted and tried to move towards him. He stumbled and the two men almost dropped him. After regaining their balance, the three men walked over to Robin; two of them practically dragging the third.

"Robin, no," Batman whispered sadly. He was startled by a voice next to his left ear.

"Ya don't think he's, um, dead, do ya?" Jack asked uncertainly.

"Look at him!" Batman shouted, fury in his voice. "Of course he's dead! Who did this? Where is the villain…responsible…" Batman's sentence trailed off as he fell into darkness.

Jason looked at his brother and rolled his eyes. "Now what?" he asked. "Should we just leave them and get outta here?"

Jack shook his head, "No, I told him I would help _them_ get outta here and I'm a man of my word. But, I don't know how ta get the kid off the wall and now we have _this_ ," he lifted Batman's limp left arm, "ta deal with. What if Kirik wakes up?"

"Well, we're definitely not getting paid now, are we?" Jason grumbled.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and for checking up on me Psyche Castle, Blas, JokerFan2011, Owan and Batman Dude! Thanks for the compliments and encouragement mystrey helper! Maybe someday I will be able to write Riddler well enough to give him an entire story. :)

JokerFan2011 - I'm shaking my head at your pun. ;-) "Don't leave us _hanging_ " - that was awesome.

Sorry for the delay - again. Life happens and sometimes priorities have to be re-evaluated. There are only two more chapters, after this one, until the end of this story and then I'm taking a break from publishing. I have two other half-finished stories so I won't be gone forever but, like I said, life happens.

 **Chapter 11:**

Robin heard voices; one that seemed familiar and two that were unrecognizable. The voice he knew sounded so sad and Robin wanted to help him but first he had to find a way out of the cold thing covering his leg that, for some reason, was pulsing painfully. He tried to move his arms and couldn't understand why they weren't co-operating. A shiver ran down his body and the two unfamiliar voices stopped talking to each other.

"Kid, are ya waking up?" Jack asked quietly. "Can ya hear me? Your partner needs ya," he hoped that saying the word "partner" would have the same effect on Robin as the word "sidekick" had on Batman.

"Bat…man?" Robin whispered.

"Yep," Jason replied loudly and Robin tried to back away from the noise that made his head start pounding. He hit a wall, though, which increased the pain and he slightly growled.

"Not so loud, Jason!" the muscular man's older brother muttered.

Jason rolled his eyes and whispered, "Batman needs ya help. He's not doing so well and we have ta get ya both outta here."

Robin was confused but did understand that Batman needed his help. He searched his brain for any sort of memory to help him figure out what to do. He remembered an IV tube and a pile of ashes on the ground. He shook his head slightly and opened his heavy eyelids. There was Batman, right in front of him and being supported by two men who were exact opposites of each other.

"Let him go!" Robin thought he had shouted at them when really it was a dry mumble.

"If we let him go, he'll fall flat on his face, kid," Jack sighed. This was going to be more difficult than he had originally thought. Batman was the strong hero; he was supposed to be getting them out of here! Instead, he was unconscious and his weak sidekick – who was still bolted and cemented to the wooden wall – was the one awake; the boy was entirely useless!

"Mini Bat-blaster!" Robin suddenly croaked loudly, proud that he had remembered something that he knew was important.

Jack sighed again, "We already used that, kid. That's why Batman is here instead of stuck on that other wall over there."

Robin frowned, "Did you kill him? If he is dead I will…" he paused to catch his breath, "…I will do something bad to you." It was the only thing Robin's tired brain could come up with and he hoped it sounded intimidating.

Jason couldn't control his laughter. "Ya gonna do 'something bad' to us? Can ya be more specific?"

"Jason, now is not the time to be making fun of the kid!" Jack yelled at his brother and Robin flinched. "Sorry, sidekick," Jack said as he lowered his voice.

"Well, I'll get his left leg outta that bolt – since it's not cemented – and you try ta wake up Batman so he can figure this out," Jason said and his brother nodded.

They carefully laid Batman on the ground then rolled him onto his back. Jason walked out the door and around to the other side of the wall. He began loosening the nuts that were holding the sidekick's left leg in the u-bolt and grimaced when he heard a sharp cry of pain as the bolt slipped through the holes and onto the floor in the other room.

Robin was staring at Batman, trying to find some sign of life. He saw his partner breathing and sighed in relief which turned into a short cry of pain when the cold thing around his leg was released, dropping his leg which he could tell was fractured. His cramped calf began to tingle and it traveled down his numb leg, causing his entire limb to start trembling.

Jack, meanwhile, was trying to get Batman to wake up without hurting him unnecessarily. He patted, then slapped, the man's cheeks; he grabbed and shook Batman's shoulders; he yelled at him to wake up and help his sidekick and he even punched him in the stomach – although the hit was so light that it probably didn't affect the hero at all.

Batman felt slapping and heard yelling. Robin, he remembered, something was wrong with Robin and he needed to get to him. He finally opened his eyes and recognized the man with the red hair – for some reason he slightly trusted this man.

"Batman, can ya hear me?" Jack yelled in his face and was startled when Batman growled at him. He pulled the hero up to sitting as his younger brother walked in the door and came over to kneel in front of them.

Batman's brain was spinning around but he understood the important parts of the words the men were saying to him: Robin, hurt, stuck, help.

Kirik heard yelling and opened his eyes again. He was staring straight up at Rob…no, the boy who _used to be Robin_ , and who was now glaring down at him. His head was pounding and his throat was raw. He looked to his left and saw _his_ henchman helping _Batman_ who had somehow escaped from his bonds! Since they were busy with the hero, Kirik decided to take care of the not-a-sidekick-anymore kid. He carefully sat up and put his right hand on his throbbing head as he heard a light growl behind him. Rolling his eyes, he got up on his knees and turned to face the boy as he stood up.

 _There are two of them? I thought Batman only had one sidekick. I broke two sidekicks at once?!_ Kirik began to chuckle as he realized his victory. _I only have one thing left to do…._

Robin watched the man stand up and stare at him. The villain's eyes were unfocused and he began to chuckle. Robin was too tired to try to figure out _why_ the man was laughing. Instead, he focused on how to knock the guy out. He saw the villain lift his left arm and knew that meant something bad was about to happen. He heard a noise to his left and was distracted; Batman was awake and looking around. A hand grabbed the mask across his eyes and weakly pulled at it, trying to tear it away from his face. Robin's athletic instincts took over and he brought both legs up and kicked the man in the chest as hard as he could which, at this point, was not very hard at all. The villain stumbled back slightly but Robin was quick and he wrapped his feet under the man's arms then twisted his hips, throwing the man to the ground and knocking him out for a third time. He paid for that maneuver, however, because now he was facing the wall with his arms stretched painfully away from his shoulders and crossed in front of him. He hit the wall and bounced off, twisting back around to face Batman and the henchmen who were now all standing up, although Batman was swaying slightly.

Jack and Jason were staring at Robin in amazement and Batman was frowning. Most of the memories had returned to his brain and he glared down at the villain in fury. He was so busy thinking of things that he was going to do to the guy that he was startled when he heard Robin softly rasp:

"So, uh, can we leave? I'm a little tired and sore and smelly and…did I mention tired?"

Jack sighed, "Well, you're cemented to the wall on the other side and we don't have any way to get ya down – short of breaking your wrists and sliding them through the bolts, which doesn't sound very pleasant fer ya."

"Bat-laser," Batman said from behind him. "It can burn through the metal but my hands are not steady enough right now to do it without burning Robin. We'll have to go through the cement; it will take longer but he won't get hurt. One of you has to stay here to catch him," he pointed to the shorter, more muscular man, "although I will probably need you to help tear away the cement."

"I may be skinny but I'm strong enough to catch a _kid_ ," Jack grumbled, annoyed at the unintended implied insult.

"Sorry," Batman snapped as he moved in front of the two men and turned to face them with his arms folded across his chest, "but I don't have the time or the patience to think about whether or not I'm offending you."

"Holy firing squad, Batman," it was Robin's turn to sigh, "he's trying to _help_!" That earned him a quick over-the-shoulder glance with a glare so he closed his mouth and rolled his tired eyes as Batman turned back to the men.

Two pairs of eyes widened and Batman spun around: somehow the villain had managed to get up, _again_ , and was behind Robin with his arms wrapped around the small torso. He smiled darkly, rage glowing in his eyes, as he gripped Robin's body tightly.

"If you try to do anything to help him, I will crush his ribs and push them up into his heart and lungs," Kirik growled.

Robin was gasping and his eyes were squeezed shut against the pain. He tried to move his legs but they wouldn't budge and he was quickly running out of oxygen.

"Now, I am going to finish what I started. There will no longer be a _Robin_ ," Kirik snarled as he took his right hand off of Robin's chest and moved it toward the boy's face.

Robin, his eyes now slightly open, twisted his head as far away to the left as he could, forcing the man to look away from Batman in order to stretch his arm across Robin's face to reach the mask. Robin felt the movement and smirked in his head.

Batman snatched a Bat-a-rang from his utility belt as soon as he saw the man's attention turn away from him. He threw it at the villain, hitting him in the left arm and causing the man to loosen his grip and cry out in pain.

Robin's eyes flew open as he gulped in the air and leaned to his left, hoping that he had chosen the correct way to go. They were the Dynamic Duo and they knew each other well: Batman had lunged to Robin's right. He tackled the villain then flipped him onto his stomach and secured him with a pair of Bat-cuffs.

Batman grabbed his Bat-laser from his utility belt and tossed it to Jason. "The red button on the side; go and release him as quickly as you can. I'm going to keep an eye on this guy…" he trailed off ominously as the brothers ran out of the room and around the corner. Batman stood up and straightened Robin's mask then ruffled his hair around.

"Now it's a 'cool' messy," he grinned at his small partner. Robin looked at Batman strangely, confused by that comment, then closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later Robin dropped limply into Batman's arms and the two brothers came running around the corner again. Jack gave the Bat-laser back to Batman and he nodded his thanks as he situated Robin's body in his arms.

"You're still going to Arkham, you know that, right?" Batman said to the henchmen, who were no longer henchman. They both nodded and dropped their heads in despair.

"However, I'll put in a good word for you. You were extremely helpful today and that should be taken into consideration. I don't think we would have made it out of here without your assistance," Batman stated and the brothers looked at each other in amazement.

"I meant," Batman decided to revise his statement since _he_ was still the hero, "that it would have taken us longer. We still would have made it out, though."

Jason chuckled and Jack shot him a quick glare. You don't laugh at Batman, especially when he's going to give you some credit with the police.

"I broke him, didn't I? Your sidekick is gone and _I_ am the one that did it," Kirik was talking again and everybody shook their heads.

Robin opened his eyes and grinned, "Holy naïve, you didn't know that I'm unbreakable? _You_ failed this time. I am the exception that you so arrogantly said I wouldn't be and, by the way, how are you feeling? Sad, scared, stupid? I'm pretty sure it's the last one."

"Robin, that's enough," Batman sighed although he, too, was grinning slightly.

Robin arched his back, his head falling over Batman's arm so that he was looking upside down at the two brothers. "Could you put in a good word for me at Arkham?"

Jack and Jason stared at him, confused by the question.

"You know, tell them that Batman's sidekick is unbreakable because I think that will really intimidate some of the lesser villains and give the big villains a reason to _not_ try to kidnap me. I'm kind of tired of being kidnapped…" he trailed off and relaxed his back.

"No, tell them that Batman's _partner_ is unbreakable and please give them an excellent description of everything that happened here so there are no doubts," Batman added.

The brothers nodded and thought about how they probably wouldn't even have the courage to talk to the smaller villains, much less the more prominent ones. Jason – without being asked – went over to Kirik, picked him up and threw him over his broad shoulder, much like he had done with Batman four days ago. Batman led the way as they left the cabin, climbed into the white van and Jack began driving them back toward Gotham City and the police station.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the reviews Psyche Castle and Blas!

Blas - One of my next stories is called "Growing Pains" but I don't have a title for the other one yet. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of this story. :) And no, I haven't watched the movie yet but I will get to it...someday!

There's a disclaimer for this chapter. Near the beginning there is a reference to a scene in episode 1x24 in the tv show - "Give 'Em The Axe". So, the credit for that goes to Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, authors of the script. Also, I'm not making any money by mentioning it.

 **Chapter 12:**

Batman and Robin were in the back of the van, sitting on the floor by the villain who was lying silently on his back. Robin had his fractured left leg propped across Batman's slightly bent right knee and was resting his head against the metal wall. He thought of something and his eyes widened.

"Holy Houdini, Batman, how did you get out of those u-bolts?!" he inquired.

"The redhead retrieved the mini Bat-blaster from your belt; I used it and got lucky. Instead of blowing _me_ to pieces, it blew the bolts to pieces."

"Aren't you glad I had one?" Robin smirked.

Batman stared toward the front of the van, refusing to acknowledge the fact that something good had come out of a _very_ bad decision his partner had made.

Kirik's head was two feet away from Robin's right leg and he stared at the Boy Wonder out of the corner of his eye. How had the boy made it this far; how had he held out for so long? He was just a _kid_! Kirik watched the Dynamic Duo closely and, when Batman's attention was focused away from him, he carefully bent his right leg and moved his cuffed hands down toward his ankle. Robin had closed his eyes and Batman was staring thoughtfully at the roof; Kirik wondered what was going through his mind and hoped the hero wasn't thinking about different ways to beat him to a pulp – like the two were so fond of saying. He rolled his eyes; what a stupid expression. His thoughts were re-directed when he felt the handle of the trusty switchblade hidden in his boot. The Caped Crusaders still had their attention focused elsewhere and Kirik's mouth twisted into a bizarre, grin-like shape as his eyes darkened with fury. There was more than one way to skin a cat or, in this case, break a bird.

Batman stared at the roof of the van, recent memories that had been lost to a concussion now drifting through his mind. He saw Robin on the wall, pain etched onto his face and fear flitting around the edges of the shame burning in his eyes. The picture changed to one of Robin fighting to get free, blood flowing from his ankles and tears streaming down his face. Batman frowned. _Tears?_ No, his partner had been, and still was, too strong to give the villain the satisfaction of perceiving any type of weakness. He shook his head in amazement at the vision of Robin struggling to knock the man out after everything he had gone through. Batman had always known that his partner could withstand an abnormal amount of _physical_ pain but he had never seen Robin go through anything like this. The constant taunts and insults that had been thrown at him, the villain continually reassuring his partner that he would always fail, Robin beginning to see himself as "just a sidekick" when the exact opposite was true. Robin had pushed all of those thoughts aside when it really mattered and Batman was impressed with his partner's ability to do so.

Batman knew that being Robin was his ward's greatest source of pride; that identity had almost been lost over these last four days. Robin had received some major blows – watching his 'R' be reduced to ashes, having his utility belt torn away and nearly being unmasked on three different occasions. It would take time for his partner to heal from those wounds and Batman made a mental note to ask Alfred to make a new Robin-suit as soon as possible.

Robin's eyes were closed but he was awake and he, too, was seeing pictures in his head: three Polaroid photos on a poster and one image of Batman carrying him – saving him _again_. He remembered knocking the villain out, twice, but it was Batman who had taken the man down in the end. Robin had _helped_ and, he realized, that's what sidekicks do: they help. How many times had he been the one doing most of the fighting? Well, there was that one time in the Gotham City Museum when he had taken on two of Riddler's henchmen but, even then, Batman had to bust the doors down with the Batram to save him. He couldn't think of one single time when he had been strong enough to get out of a trap or take out multiple henchmen on his own. So, he was a sidekick; an unbreakable sidekick, yes, but nothing more than a sidekick.

Batman sighed quietly, grabbed a roll of Bat-wrap from his utility belt and began tending to his own swollen, bloody wrists and Robin's left ankle. His partner's feet were still bare so Batman rolled the Bat-wrap around Robin's foot several extra times while working on the ankle; it was the best he could do for now. There was nothing he could use as a splint so he just wrapped his partner's fractured left leg tightly; again, it was the best he could do for now. He glanced to his right; Robin seemed to be asleep and Batman didn't want to disturb him by using the Bat-wrap on his wrists or right ankle. His partner wasn't bleeding and the bandages could wait so he put the roll back into his utility belt. That right ankle was going to need a lot of attention when they returned to the Batcave. It looked worse than all of the other wounds that either of them had received combined. He turned his head to his left and watched the buildings of Gotham City begin whizzing past the van; they were about twenty minutes away from the police station, it would take five or ten more to explain the situation to Commissioner Gordon and then they could be on the road to the Batcave.

Kirik pushed the button on the handle of the knife and let the blade cut into his hand when it sprung open, effectively silencing the telltale sound of a switchblade, but he couldn't hold back a quiet gasp of pain. The Bat-cuffs were hindering, but not stopping, his progress and he laughed diabolically in his head. But…how was he going to take care of the boy when Batman was wide awake and Kirik's arms were secured tightly behind his back? He frowned – he hated inflicting physical pain but it was the only option he had now. He was no longer in a position to toy with the kid mentally or emotionally. He had never had to go to such lengths with _any_ of his other jobs and he was frustrated. Maybe the boy _was_ unbreakable….

Robin heard a noise: a soft but sharp intake of breath. He didn't want to care – he was so tired – but he was a little worried since the villain, as far as Robin knew, was still awake. He cracked his eyes open, glanced to his left and saw Batman watching the road ahead. He moved his eyes to his right and saw the villain lying on his left side and attempting to sit up. _What is he doing?_ Robin's brain was slow to react to the situation and the man quietly began to scoot himself toward the Boy Wonder, who had closed his eyes again.

It only took two little movements for Kirik to get close enough to Robin to do some damage. Quickly glancing at the Dynamic Duo, he was surprised to see not only Robin's eyes closed, but also those of Batman. Maybe things were starting to go his way again; maybe he would even be able to take down Batman! _Don't get ahead of yourself!_ Turning his back to the former sidekick, he twisted the knife so that the flat part was parallel to the ground and the tip of the blade was a few inches away from the boy's side. All he had to do was lean back….

Batman was tired. Yes, he had been receiving all the nutrients he needed through the IV but he didn't know anyone who could get a good night's sleep while bolted to a wall. The villain was cuffed, Robin was asleep and Batman knew that the former henchmen were going to keep their word and take them to the police station. So, he closed his eyes but didn't allow himself to fall asleep, just in case.

Robin really wanted to go to sleep but those images refused to leave his mind. He was not broken, right? Broken meant that the bad guy would get him to beg or plead or cry and he hadn't done any of that. Could he have broken on the inside, where the villain wouldn't be able to see it? Maybe he _wasn't_ unbreakable; maybe he was just able to hide it well. Batman was going to be very disappointed when he discovered that Robin hadn't been strong enough, especially since Batman had been defending him for the entire time they were held captive. His secret identity had been saved from the villain but Robin was sure that he was about to lose "Robin" because he hadn't been strong enough. He had failed, again, just like Kirik had said he would. He mentally took a picture of his mask being torn off his face and added it to the three already on the poster. He knew they would constantly be in his head; always reminding him of his inability to remain unbroken.

There was a bump in the road and Robin felt a sharp pain in his side followed by the warmth of blood beginning to trickle down onto the floor. He thought about telling Batman but decided that his hero would be okay without a broken sidekick so he soundlessly sighed and let the blood flow out of him.

Kirik grinned when he realized that he didn't have to lean back because what felt like a pothole had just caused his knife to slide into the boy's side. He felt blood from the kid's torso but was surprised when no sounds came from the former sidekick. There was no grunt of pain, no call for help; the boy remained silent. Perhaps he was so fast asleep that he hadn't felt anything. Kirik shrugged, left the knife in Robin's torso and laid down again. He grimaced when the Bat-cuffs hit the floor of the van and saw Batman turn his head to look at him. The interior of the van was dark and Batman couldn't see the blood pooling around his sidekick so Kirik did his best to look bored, not wanting to cause suspicion.

Batman heard a small noise and turned his head to look at Robin and the villain. Robin was still asleep and the man looked bored so what had made that sound? He mentally sighed; why did he feel like something was wrong? He was being paranoid; the villain was probably trying to find a more comfortable position. The rough streets of Gotham City must be killing his arms since they were secured underneath him. He turned his attention to Robin and carefully studied his face. He noticed the slight twist of his partner's mouth and recognized the expression Robin wore when he was in pain. It was time to wrap Robin's wrists, right ankle and right foot; it would wake him up but it would also give him some relief.

"Turn on the interior light," Batman commanded and the shorter man in the passenger seat readily complied.

Batman retrieved the roll of Bat-wrap from his utility belt again and brought Robin's left wrist onto his lap. His partner didn't move so Batman bandaged it quickly and reached over to get his right one. There was a glint of something on the floor of the van so Batman leaned his body across Robin's torso in order to discover the source of the slight shimmer. His eyes widened: there was a knife sticking out of Robin's right side and a large puddle of blood that was growing rapidly. Forgetting about the wrist, he grasped the handle of the knife, swiftly pulled it out and pressed one hand against the wound while quickly unrolling the Bat-wrap with his other.

Robin gasped and his tired eyes flew open as what felt like a knife was torn out of his body. Something was pushing against the now-throbbing injury and he tried unsuccessfully to hold back a quiet groan. He didn't want Batman to hear him and start to worry but then he saw Batman right in front of him and concern was already in his eyes.

Robin sighed and carefully shook his head. "Sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Robin," Batman almost shouted, "why didn't you say anything and why on earth are you apologizing _again_?!"

"I…" but Robin saw the villain staring at him smugly and changed his sentence, "think you should let it go for now." Robin's eyes were pools of pain surrounded by a rim of anger.

Batman noticed the glare Robin threw to his right and, although he didn't want to, let it go. He was frustrated and wanted more information _now_ but wasn't going to push Robin in front of the man who, obviously, was still trying to break him. He helped his partner sit all the way up and wrapped his torso tightly. Carefully moving Robin to the left, Batman placed himself between the villain and his young partner.

Batman loomed over the man and, with fury in his eyes, whispered darkly, "You will never again see the light of day and I am currently deciding whether or not to pay you a visit in your cell at Arkham."

"Oh, so you can beat me to a pulp?" Kirik replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "I doubt the warden will allow you to do that."

"Warden Crichton is a _very_ reasonable man and, after I explain this entire situation to him, he will not only allow it but might even come down and open your door himself," Batman threatened with a menacing snarl.

This time it was the villain's eyes that widened and Batman, satisfied that he had sufficiently frightened the man, turned back to Robin and finished wrapping his partner's injuries.

Robin heard the exchange between Batman and the villain and was confused. Why would Batman continue…but then Robin remembered that he hadn't told Batman the truth yet. He decided to wait until they were in the Batcave because, when Batman found out that his sidekick was broken, _Dick_ could go straight up to Wayne Manor instead of _Robin_ having to deal with an awkward silence during the ride home in the Batmobile.

Batman noticed Robin staring at nothing and wondered what was going through his mind. He searched his partner's eyes and saw sadness surrounded by…was that shame again? Batman thought they were past that.

"Robin, what are you thinking about?" Batman forced the concern out of his voice as he asked what he considered to be the most important question out of all the ones floating in his head.

"I'm…forget it. I'm just tired," Robin replied but Batman heard the small tremble in his voice. His tone was sad, just like his eyes, and it was laced with regret. Robin glanced down at the hole in his Robin-suit, where the 'R' used to be, and the small amount of pride that was left drifted away. "Robin" had died and he had to learn to accept that.

"We'll be on our way back to the Batcave soon," Batman said as he noticed Robin glance down at his own uniform. The hole in the suit was small but he could see that the hole in his partner's pride was getting bigger. Batman didn't know how to help and he was frustrated.

Robin was already tired of the guilt that was weighing him down and making it hard to breathe. They had just arrived at the police station, however, so he couldn't do anything about it. Jack and Jason got out, went inside, turned themselves in and told Chief O'Hara about the van and its three passengers. The chief took some officers out to collect the villain and the Dynamic Duo followed them into the station, both limping heavily. Commissioner Gordon brought them into his office and Batman explained what had happened, although he did leave out many small details to protect what was left of Robin's pride.

As they exited the station through the back door, Batman sighed. The Batmobile was at the warehouse where they had been captured, he didn't have his drive-the-Batmobile-remotely control and his Bat-communicator had broken when he had fallen off the wall. He shook his head, annoyed at himself, when he realized that he had left Robin's utility belt at the cabin so they didn't have _his_ Bat-communicator, either. _I'm doing a great job at being a hero right now_ was his sarcastic thought as he watched Robin carefully sit down on the curb of the sidewalk.

"Batman," Robin sounded frustrated, "sit down. I need to tell you something and then we will be able to go home." He couldn't wait until they returned to the Batcave to get this off his chest; it was becoming too heavy for him to handle. Also, he would have a way to get them home because, after removing his mask and giving it to Batman, Dick Grayson would be able to call Alfred. He would have to find an excuse to get a change of clothes from Chief O'Hara, of course, before doing any of that; Batman still had a secret identity to protect.

"Okay," Batman was impressed that his tired partner already had an idea of how to get them home. He sat down and stared at his partner expectantly. For some reason, Robin was refusing to look at him and Batman became concerned. He waited for his partner to continue and didn't know that Robin was trying to gather the courage he needed for this conversation.

"Sorry…" Robin started but was immediately cut off.

"Stop saying that!" Batman exclaimed and he, too, sounded frustrated. "You have nothing to be sorry about and I'm tired of you being so hard on yourself!"

"Can a person be broken on the inside and capable of not showing it on the outside?" The question burst out of Robin and it took them both off guard.

Batman was stunned. He finally knew the real reason for the emotions that had been constantly present in his partner's eyes and voice: Robin thought he had broken. Batman knew that meant Robin felt that he had let Batman down. But his partner had been so confident when they were leaving the cabin, even asking the former henchmen to tell everyone at Arkham that he was unbreakable. What had changed?

Batman pondered for a moment then took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Robin had been quiet on the ride back to Gotham and Batman realized that he probably had not been asleep, but thinking. His partner had been allowing the taunts, insults and everything else that man had done to him finally begin to lodge themselves deep into his brain. Robin wasn't broken but had been trying to convince himself that he was because, Batman concluded, Robin thought he had lost his identity and was about to be "retired".

Robin stared at Batman, searching his eyes for the answer and hoping that what he _knew_ was going to happen wasn't actually about to happen. Batman was going to tell him that "Robin" _had_ died back at the cabin and that he didn't need a sidekick anymore, anyway.

"You, Robin, are not broken on the inside _or_ on the outside. I'm not disappointed in you at all, you did _not_ let me down in any way and you are _still_ Robin. Stop thinking about those pictures, that man and everything that happened at that cabin. He never would have broken you, Robin – you are too strong – and I have never been more astonished at your strength. So stop beating yourself _UP_!" the last word was shouted and Robin flinched but continued to stare at Batman. "Also," he added, "why didn't you tell me right away when that man _stabbed_ you in the van?!"

"I knew you would be a better crime-fighter without a broken sidekick," Robin explained softly as he dropped his eyes to the ground again, "so…"

"So you were going to let yourself _die_?!" Batman exclaimed in disbelief.

Robin glanced up at Batman, "Well, I…"

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud 'BANG' from behind them and they both whipped their heads around in surprise. They watched in shock as the villain sprinted past them and headed west. Batman quickly stood up but Robin was faster – he had already jumped to his feet and was running after the man.

"You can't catch me, _boy_ ," Kirik shouted as he glanced back. "Only heroes can catch bad guys!" he taunted.

 _Shut up! I said you would regret showing Batman those stupid pictures and I warned you that I was going to take you down._

Kirik was laughing maniacally as he ran through the streets of Gotham City. There was no way the former sidekick could catch up to him after going without nourishment for four days and with a knife wound that, most likely, was already bleeding again.

Robin heard the laughter and rolled his eyes; the man was almost as crazy as Joker! He felt blood sliding down his right leg, pain shooting through his left leg and both ankles and the Bat-wrap around his feet was beginning to fall apart but he didn't care. The man who had broken him was not going to get away and Robin ran faster. It was getting hard to breathe but he saw those pictures in his mind and decided that he was not going to fail this time. He was _Robin_ , for now anyway, and he was definitely not going to fail.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks for the reviews Blas and Batman Dude!

 **Chapter 13:**

Batman stared in amazement as his partner took off after the villain. How did he have the strength to get up quicker than Batman and enter a footrace with a man who had minor head injuries and lots of fuel? If Robin still thought he was broken after this, Batman might have to call him an idiot to help him get his head on straight….

Chief O'Hara came running out of the station, frantically looking around for the villain. He saw the look on Batman's face and knew there was trouble.

"Where…" he started but Batman interrupted him.

"How did he get away from you?" Batman yelled at him. "He had _Bat-cuffs_ on!"

"I'm sorry, Batman, but one of the junior officers made a mistake and…"

The chief was cut off again as Batman shouted incredulously, "You call this a _mistake_? The man who had us bolted to walls for four days and tried to break Robin gets away from you and it's a _mistake_?!" He shook his head and raced after his partner; Robin was strong but was also probably…and he saw the trail of blood. _At least I can easily follow their path._

Kirik glanced behind him and was surprised to see the boy still running after him – it actually seemed like he was catching up! He had more energy than a kid who hadn't eaten in four days, however, so he increased his speed even though his head was pounding.

The wound on Robin's side was now bleeding profusely and his energy was starting to sag. _Holy marathon!_ He watched in horror as the villain sped up and he almost wanted to stop and let Batman get him. Wind was blowing through a jagged hole in his uniform and memories of giving up were flying through his mind, however, so he pushed himself to run faster. Batman wasn't close enough yet to re-capture the man, anyway – there were no familiar footsteps echoing behind Robin – so there was no point in stopping. He was getting dizzy and was pretty sure his left leg was about to break but the man who had stolen his identity was _not_ going to escape.

Batman saw a streak of yellow heading around a corner to the north. Robin _needed_ this, _needed_ to catch the villain but four days was a long time and running on a fractured leg, not to mention those ankles, was probably killing him. Batman kept running west, an idea forming in his mind.

Kirik took another quick look behind him as he followed the street north and saw no sign of the "Boy Wonder". He grinned; he had known the kid wouldn't be able to keep up so he started to slow down. Suddenly, there was a flash of red and yellow and the former sidekick's shoulder was in his gut: the kid was tackling him! _Where did he come from?!_

Robin knew the streets of Gotham City like the back of his hand; there was a dead end up ahead and the villain would be forced to turn right in another thirty yards. He whipped around a corner into an alley that took him north, jumped a short fence that led him west again – ripping away the rest of the Bat-wrap and scraping the bottoms of his feet in the process – then sprinted the last twenty yards. He rounded the corner at almost the same time as the villain and dove at him; tackling him to the ground and shoving the man's shoulders into the gravelly asphalt.

Kirik yelped in pain as he hit the ground and the grit on the street was pushed against his shoulders. _No, no, no; this isn't how it's supposed to happen!_

Batman rounded the corner and grinned when he realized that his idea had been correct: Robin had taken the back way and now the villain was pinned on the ground. His partner's arms were straight but his body was trembling and there was blood seeping from the wounds on both bodies.

 _Holy nick-of-time._ Robin heard footsteps but knew if he looked up he would topple over so he waited for Batman – because he knew that's who it was – to get to them and secure the villain. He was startled when a pair of hands gently grabbed his torso and moved him off the man and to the right, setting him carefully on the ground. His vision was blurry and his breathing erratic as he watched Batman flip the villain onto his stomach and put Bat-cuffs on both his wrists and his ankles. Robin glanced down and pushed his right hand against the bloody knife wound on his side then laid down on his left side and curled in on himself. _Now_ he could rest but he kept his eyes open, just in case Batman needed help from his sidekick. Then, as the events of the last four days rolled through his mind, Robin realized something important: winning the mental, emotional and physical battle against Kirik had redefined "Robin". Batman didn't have a broken sidekick, he had an unbreakable partner; a strong, proud, sarcastic, impulsive, sometimes-makes-unfortunate-decisions partner.

Batman was crouching by the tightly-secured villain, carefully watching Robin's face. He smiled when he saw realization dawning in his partner's eyes, replacing the sadness and shame that had been present during their captivity. _He finally figured it out; he finally knows who he is, who he has always been._

"Batman," Robin whispered with a slight grin, "how's my hair?"


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Kirik was on the ground, Bat-cuffs tight around his wrists and ankles. He glared at the sidekick, who was huddled in a ball less than five feet away and smirking at him. _Don't look so smug, Boy Wonder, we're not done yet. Next time there won't be any traitorous henchmen or heroic Batman. It'll be me and you, far away from here in a place that nobody will ever be able to find. I_ _ **will**_ _break you, Robin, even if it takes the rest of my life…._

THE END

P.S. Thanks for reading and commenting; you guys are awesome and it's been a great run! I'm taking a break for an undetermined amount of time but I'm not vanishing from the face of the earth. :) I'll be back with two new stories ("Growing Pains" and an untitled one) and a sequel to this one because I was just informed that Kirik has escaped from Arkham ("If At First You Don't Succeed..."). So, keep an eye out for me - only if you want to, of course. ;-) Thanks again!


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